


Wayward

by Rip14



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst and Tragedy, Badass Chi-Chi, Falling In Love, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:41:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28069491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rip14/pseuds/Rip14
Summary: After crash landing on Earth, Kakarot is trying to figure out his next move while on the run from the Saiyans. His plans are forever changed when a stranger entices him on an adventure of a lifetime.
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 114
Kudos: 43
Collections: The Wayward Series





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I’m back. For those who don’t know me, my name is Riptide14 (I had to create a new account, so it’s Rip14 now). I haven’t been on here in a while but I use to write for PJO and Divergent. If your interested in reading those works, just look up my old name.
> 
> Anyways, quarantine got me back into writing and after meeting some new talented friends, I felt motivated to write and post again. So here it is! This AU was suppose to just be a one shot inspired by my friend’s mstossu art but it’s evolved. I hope you all enjoy this fic, it’s been super fun to write. Kudos and comment below! 
> 
> ~Riptide14

**_Wayward_   
  
**

“Here ya, go” The bartender said as he put the drink down at the table before the wild haired Saiyan. The short glass filled with brown liquor was surrounded by empty glasses and burnt cigarette butts. The Saiyan grabbed the glass and took a hearty sip before slamming it on the table in front of him.

“Easy there, Kakarot. If you break my table again, I’ll have to kick you out for the night. The boss was pissed after I let you off last time.”

Rolling his eyes, Kakarot reached in his armor for another cigarette. He placed the butt lightly in his mouth, and it delicately hung on his lips. These Earthlings were so uptight and nervous all the time, they took the fun out of everything. But, he was grateful for the lack of attention this planet had. Kakarot needed to lay low and figure out his next move, and hiding out on a planet full of weaklings was the perfect place to do so. 

He glared up at his acquaintance and responded, “Now, what’s the fun in that, Yamcha.”

“I’m serious, Kakarot. I can’t lose this job.”

“Yah, yah fine. Just make sure the drinks don’t stop, and maybe I’ll try not to break your table.”

Yamcha rolled his eyes and walked away, revealing a stunning beauty behind him who sat at the bar.  _ Well, she’s new _ Kakarot thought. 

Her long black hair was shiny and had a slight wave to it as it rested on the small of her back. Although Kakarot could only see her profile, he knew she was leagues above most of the women in this joint.  _ Damn, she was something else  _ he noted as he leaned back against the plush booth behind him. Briefly, he turned away to finally light his cigarette. Looking up again as he exhaled a cloud of smoke from his body, the woman at the bar made eye contact with him and it took a brief moment before she smirked back at him, her eyes sparkling in flirtation.

Most people would turn away out of embarrassment or from being uncomfortable, but Kakarot intensified his look, refusing to be the first one to look away. Finally, she turned away but Kakarot kept his stare, examining her features. She wore tight, ripped black pants and from what he could tell, some sort of armor, leather jacket placed lightly over her shoulders. She turned again, and caught his gaze once more. He kept his eye contact with her bright, brown eyes, blowing out another cloud of smoke. Kakarot was just about to beckon her over when a voice slurred to his right.

“Ka-Kakarot, you got any spar-re chain for me.” 

“Roshi, you’re drunk. Get out of my face.” Kakarot waved off the drunk old man and Roshi laughed as he stumbled back to the tables behind Kakarot. Sighing in annoyance, Goku turned back in his booth and was surprised by the new visitor sitting next to him. 

“You looked like you could use a friend.” She smirked and Kakarot chuckled before answering.

“What makes you think I need a friend.”

“So the long, smoldering looks you were giving me earlier, what was that then?” She teased and Kakarot couldn’t help but slightly smile as he admitted she had a point.

Putting down his cigarette to reach for his drink, he took a long sip, needing the liquid courage now more than ever. Unlike his other conquests in his past, who were dumb and easy, the woman in front of him had a fire about her that made him want to figure her out more, as well as take her home. He had to play this right if he’d be accomplishing that goal tonight. After finishing his sip, he turned back and answered.

“Well, you’ve got a point. I guess I am looking for a bit of company tonight.”

She smiled and leaned closer to him before requesting, “Can I snag one of your cigarettes. I’ve been dying for one all night.”

Turning to his armour, Kakarot pulled out a cigarette and handed it to her. She put the butt in her mouth and said flirtatiously.

“Mind giving me a light?” 

Kakarot grabbed his lighter as she moved closer and he lit the front of the cigarette. Smiling, she inhaled and then exhaled the smoke lightly in his face. All Kakarot could think was that she was insanely attractive. Not just physically, but her personality and forwardness  _ really  _ did something to him. 

Putting his arm over the top of the booth to lean closer to her, Kakarot asked, “So, what brings you into a dive like this.”

“I could ask you the same thing, Saiyan.”

Surprised, Kakarot frowned, “How’d you know I was a Saiyan?”

“Please, it’s so obvious. You might have been able to fool everyone else here but I’ve been around. Although the lack of tail does make it a little harder to tell.” She lightly tapped her cigarette on the ash holder in front of them and asked “How’d you lose it anyway?”

Trying not to discuss a rather painful memory, especially right now, Kakarot quickly changed subjects.

“What are you drinking? I need another.”

“Bourbon, neat.” She replied and Kakarot waved Yamcha over for another round.

“Two bourbons.” 

Yamcha nodded and Kakarot turned his attention back on the mystery woman in front of him. She was searching around the bar a bit anxiously so Kakarot took this opportunity to study her a little better without acting like a creep, which he would have been if he did so earlier. She wore light eye makeup, which accentuated her features. Under her jacket, she also wore a tight, burnt orange shell that really displayed her chest. Kakarot didn’t mind gazing at her chest before she could notice that he was staring too long. As she turned back to face him, Kakarot quickly glanced up and she smiled.

“So, what are you doing at a place like this then?”

Kakarot waved a finger with a grin, “I asked that first.”

Rolling her eyes, she moved in closer to Kakarot in the booth as Yamcha sat down their drinks. Leaning over him, her lips dangerously close to Kakarot’s, she grabbed her glass and sipped before leaning back.

“Just here to have some fun. How about you?”

Kakarot could respond that he was currently on the run from the rest of his team. He could tell her that he’s been coming to this bar for the last month and was bored out of his mind. He would even tell her that he feels like he is adrift and has no direction in his life and doesn’t know what to do with it at the moment, but that would be too much to tell a stranger. Even if she made him feel like he could tell her those things. Grunting, Kakarot grabbed his drink and chugged it. After finishing, he then slammed the glass on the table and a distant groan from Yamcha could be heard behind them. He needed that drink to get those weak, pointless thoughts out of his head.

“Yah, something like that.”

He could tell that she was studying him and he didn’t mind. Hopefully, she liked what she saw as well.

The door opening caught both of their attention, and Kakarot glanced up to see two space cops walking over to the bartender. 

“Shit.” The woman cursed next to him.

“Wait, wha-?” Kakarot tried to ask but his question was interrupted by her urgent lips on his. Initially, he was taken off guard and his body froze. But, as she moved close to him and bent her head to cover them with her hair, Kakarot took the lead and eagerly wrapped an arm around her, deepening the kiss. He then ran his hand up and grabbed a fistful of hair, smiling a little against her lips. The kiss intensified and she lightly moaned against his lips, and it took everything in his power not to run to a bathroom stall and take her right then and there. 

Abruptly, she broke the kiss and peered over his shoulder, noticing the cops as they went towards the back to the bathroom stalls. Leaning back, she smiled and placed a hand on his chest. 

“Well, that’s my cue to leave. This has been...very fun.” She blushed slightly and slid carefully out of the booth.

Confused, Kakarot reached up and lightly grabbed her waist, “Wait, where are you going? We were in the middle of something he-.”

_ SLAM _

Suddenly, Kakarot found his cheek forced hard against the table, and his arm pulled painfully behind his back.

“Listen, you’re lucky that I like you, or we’d be having a much different discussion. But next time you touch me like that, I won’t be as nice. Got it?”

He must be crazy or maybe it was the booze, but this was  _ insanely  _ attractive to him.

“Can I at least get your name?” Kakarot mumbled against the table.

She surveyed the bar before letting his arm go. Grabbing a fistful of his wild hair, she brought Kakarot’s face off the table. She then leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“It’s Chi-Chi, but call me Chi.” 

“Kakarot.” Kakarot replied painfully, his cheek still throbbing from his face slamming on the table.

A small peck on his cheek relieved Kakarot momentarily of the pain and then he was released from her hold, his face landing hard on the table again. Lifting his head with a groan, he saw the shocked bar patrons staring at him. Kakarot rubbed his cheek and cursed under his breath, angry that he had his guard down so much that someone was able to get the jump on him. Suddenly, the cops came bursting out of the back, running outside and screaming to each other.

“She’s getting away, move!”

Sirens and lights flickered against the windows of the bars and after a brief moment of silence, everyone eventually got back to their business. Kakarot was very confused about what just transpired but moreover, he was curious at who Chi was and why she was wanted by the space cops.

Deciding he should probably get some air, and needing to calm down from the anger welling up in his chest from his embarrassment, Kakarot walked out front and dug into his armor for more cigarettes. 

“Are they gone?” A voice called out from above him. Looking up, Kakarot found Chi standing on the roof. 

Grunting, he replied, “Yah but how’d you avoid them? They seemed to be hot on your trail for a moment there.”

Jumping down, Chi landed and stood up. She casually shrugged and continued, “Eh, I’ve been at this for a long time. They were rookies.”

Kakarot couldn’t help but smile and he took another hit of his cigarette.This girl was different than any woman he’s met before.

Chi walked over the hoverbike rack and pulled out bike. She hopped on and flipped her hair, gazing at the road in front of her. Kakarot nodded towards the bike.

“Nice ride.” Chi turned back to him and replied.

“Thanks, it's not mine.” 

Again, Kakarot couldn’t contain his chuckle and she smiled back with bright eyes before saying, “Put some ice on that cheek. Would be a shame to have a gorgeous face like yours bruise.”

“Thanks for the concern, but I’ve been through worse.”

This time, she scoffed and started the engine.

“I’ll see you around, Kakarot. Don’t miss me too much.” She winked before revving the engine and jetting off, leaving him alone outside the bar in silence. 

Kakarot was still a little pissed and annoyed that he wasn’t bringing her back to his place tonight, but he couldn’t deny that he didn’t mind the view of her leaving. She looked good on that bike, and it only made her even more attractive to Kakarot. He will have to keep his eye out for her for now on. They had unfinished business.

Moments later, the door opened, Yamcha walked out and whistled. 

“Dude, what a night huh?” Yamcha said and Kakarot grunted. “Those cops really wanted to find that girl you were sitting with. They asked the bartender if they knew of her, which he didn’t until she made a break for it. Apparently, she’s an infamous arms dealer. Wanted by the Galactic Space Patrol for a bunch of crimes. I didn’t even know space cops existed so she have done something to get that attention. Especially since she’s from here.”

_ An Earthling who’s an arms dealer huh? Wait! _ Kakarot thought. Tensing, Kakarot quickly went to his armour to look for the map he kept in the same spot at all times to see if it was still there. Feeling his empty pocket, he growled. His hunch was right, she stole it from him. 

_ Shit, she was good.  _ Kakarot thought. She must have been scouting out people to take advantage of all night, and Kakarot was her latest victim. Now he has even more of a reason to find her, and he might not be so welcoming the next time he sees her. Kakarot needed that map, his life depended on it, so not getting it back as not an option. Little did Chi know, he was pretty good at tracking people down, especially someone who has something he wants. 

Thinking about the exciting proposition ahead, Kakarot thought to himself. 

_ I’ll definitely be seeing you again, Chi-Chi. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my friend, Laralie for all your help with this story!

_**Chapter 2** _

An infuriating high pitched alarm stirred Kakarot in his sleep. The blaring sound rang loudly in his ears as he groaned, annoyed and half asleep.

“Kakarot.” A familiar voice called to him. Kakarot turned onto his back, his breath quickening.

“Kakarot!” The voice screamed and Kakarot sprung up in his bed, his eyes wide and his chest heaving, startled awake by the memory.

Trying to get his bearings, Kakarot looked around and realized that he was still on Earth, in a small, unfurnished room. Gasping and taking a deep breath, Kakarto ran his hand through his wild hair, trying to get a hold of himself. 

After a moment, Kakarot looked to the clock on the nightstand to his right. It was mid-morning, too late in the day for Kakarot’s liking. There was too much to do, and he wasn’t going to keep wasting his day thinking or dreaming about things that he shouldn’t. 

Groaning, he stretched his arms over his head, cracking his joints. Finally, he slid his legs to the side of the bed and stood, taking another long stretch, willing his body to wake up with each movement. Yawning, Kakarot moved to the window, peering outside at the weather. The waves surrounding the small island he had been staying at for the last six weeks were hitting the beach roughly, a storm raging over the sky. Kakarot sighed and walked away. Slowly, he kneeled down and laid his body out to perform his usual morning pushups. After a few hundred, Kakarot stood, sweating and panting a bit. He then continues his morning routine and goes to his clothes.

Eyeing his armor and then the human clothes next to it on the small dresser across the room, Kakarot frowned. Deciding that it was better to blend in, Kakarot finally caved and made Yamcha give him human attire. It wasn’t nearly as sturdy as his armor, but the fabric was comfortable enough. Frustrated, he sighed and grabbed the white t-shirt. Quickly sliding it across his bare chest, Kakarot continued to get himself ready for the day. He was hoping that his next lead would be fruitful. 

Once he was finished, Kakarot hurried down the stairs to the kitchen of the small beach house. Roshi was still passed out on the couch drunk and Kakarot shook his head at the old timer, not sure how the man was able to drink so much on a daily basis. Eyeing across the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat, Kakarot smirked. Taking the last sandwich, Kakarot walked outside, slamming the door. He didn’t care if he woke the old man up. He was too focused on the task at hand. Quickly finishing his sandwich, Kakarot slowly lifted himself up into the air before taking off to the city at lightning speed.

A few moments later, Kakarot found himself in front of a small run down bar. Landing carefully in the lot of the bar, Kakarot looked around, trying to see if his target was outside. 

Thunder rumbled across the sky as rain continued to pour across the city. It was a gloomy, wet day and Kakarot trudged across the gravel parking lot. Since crash landing on Earth six weeks ago, Kakarot has barely had time to explore Earth much less a desire to do so. The humans he found were too emotional and weak for his taste, and he had hoped to be off this pathetic planet by now, but he hasn’t found anyone to repair his ship. Even though a vast majority of the humans annoyed him, some of them haven’t been so bad. Yamcha and Roshi found him almost dead after he crashed and nursed him back to health. Since then, they’ve been his only companions as he figured out his next move. But, all his plans had been ruined when he met Chi, and now his focus was on tracking her down and getting back what he needed.

She was good at covering her tracks, and for anyone else it would have been difficult to find her. But, as someone who started out as a low-level soldier and worked his way up to become a top warrior on the most elite Saiyan squad, finding a thief wasn’t too difficult. His search for her had taken him all over the city and beyond, discovering the darkest circles and even nastier humans. It wasn’t a problem for him though, and eventually, he found enough information to be right on her trail. Kakarot was ready to finish this.

Pulling up his dark grey hoodie to cover his head from the downpour, Kakarot looked up to look at the bar to see a woman in a jean jacket and white hoodie walking out the front door. Her long, wavy black hair was tied up in a ponytail with a light grey baseball hat on top of her head. 

_Chi-Chi._ It was a decent disguise for anyone who didn’t know better, but she couldn’t fool him. Smiling, Kakarot’s eyes followed her as she went around black and Kakarot decided to make his move.

Her back was to him as she leaned against the bar well with a newly lit cigarette, and her shoulders exhaled as she sighed. Moving in quickly, Kakarot grabbed her shoulder and shoved Chi against the wall of the bar. Clinching the back of her neck, Kakarot kept his hold and pushed her harder against the wall as he whispered against her ear.

“I think you have something that belongs to me.”

Smirking against the wall, Chi replied, “It took you long enough.” 

Frustrated, Kakarot pressed against her harder and hissed, “Don’t _fuck_ with me. Where is it?”

A small giggle escaped from the wall as Chi responded, “I can’t help you if I can’t move.”

Letting his hold on her loosen, he stepped back and Chi turned to face him, rubbing her cheek a bit. 

“Ouch.” She smirked.

“So, where is it?” Kakarot asked again, his patience thinning.

“Calm down. You Saiyans are all the same. Impulsive and impatient.” 

Growling, Kakarot quickly stepped forward and slammed her up against the wall again, this time pressing his forearm into her neck. He leaned in close to her, inches from her lips and in an instant of fury, he punched the wall right next to her ear.

“WHERE IS IT!”

Silence passes between them as their heavy breathing, the rain, and thunder are the only thing that they can hear. At this point, their clothes and bodies are soaked from the downpour as the rain picks up a bit.

Finally, Chi says, “I’m sure King Vegeta would want to know where it is as well, Kakarot.”

Startled, Kakarot slightly loosened his hold on Chi and said, “What, how do you know him?”

Not realizing that his brief moment of shock left him open for an attack, Chi drives her knee hard into his gut, sending Kakarot stepping back away in pain. Huffing, Chi shook out her wet hair in her ponytail and looked down at Kakarot as he is still wincing from her blow. 

“Did you _really_ think I didn’t know anything about you before I approached you at that bar? Please, I’ve been trailing you for weeks. I know everything about you, Kakarot. A fearless Saiyan who got his tail cut off, went crazy, stole from the king, and crashed landed on Earth. Now you’re on the run from King Vegeta, stuck on this,” Chi waved her hand around, “Stupid planet with no escape plan or next step. You’re making it too easy. If I was anyone else, you’d be screwed. Luckily for you, I have a need for a crazy Saiyan.”

Recovering from her cheap shot, Kakarot stood up, breathing heavily, his soaking shirt clinging to his heaving chest.

“What do you mean?”

Chi pulled out another cigarette, lights it and looked up at Kakarot while she blew a cloud of smoke towards him. Continuing she says, “Well, as you might have gathered from our last meeting, I’m a wanted woman. Not just from the space patrol, though. Lord Frieza would really like to see me dead.” 

Shocked, Kakarot replied, “You messed with Lord Frieza? Are you insane?!” 

“It’s a long story but yes, he has a price on my head and it's been really getting in my way. Now, here’s where I need your services, Kakarot. I know that he has been searching for what this map leads to for a while,” She pulled out the map from her chest and continues, “If I can entice him just enough to at least have a sit down with me, then I can get what I want.” 

“And what do you want?” Kakarot asked and Chi exhaled another cloud of smoke and leaned against the wall of the bar.

“To kill Frieza.” She responded with a deadly tone. 

Kakarot looked at her incredulously. Sure, she was an attractive woman and for an Earthling, she was strong, and he’ll be the first one to admit that he liked that about her. But, she must have been hit in the head too many times if she thinks she can kill Frieza. 

Kakarot tried to hold back his laughter but couldn't and started to crack up, laughing so much that tears welled in his eyes, his sides hurting. Realizing that she must be drunk or kidding, Kakarot caught his breath and held out his hand.

“Alright, stop messing around. Give me the map or I'll just take it from you.”

Chi frowned and crossed her arms, “I’m dead serious. I’m going to kill Frieza. And you’re going to help me.”

Kakarot cocked his head in response, “I’m not helping you with anything.”

Chi finished her cigarette and dropped the butt before walking over to Kakarot, “You sure about that? Well, the king will be very happy that I’ve found you. I’ll probably get a hefty reward for bringing the elusive Kakarot to him.”

“You’re bluffing.” 

Pulling out a small circular device, Chi answered, “Oh, you want to test me? I’ve got his mistress on speed dial.”

“You know Bulma?!” Kakarot shouted.

“Of course. We go far back. Now, let me give her a ring.”

Frustration gripped Kakarot. Sure, he was positive that he could take on King Vegeta and he wasn’t scared of him by any means. However, if he wanted to obtain his freedom, he could not let King Vegeta find him until he had everything he needed for leverage. 

“Don’t - just tell me what you want from me.” Kakarot spat out.

“Good. I was hoping I didn’t have to resort to that. Blackmail or violence always seems to work better. But, I’d prefer not to hurt that gorgeous face again.” She smiled seductively as she looked Kakarot up and now, “I got to say, those human clothes look much better on you than your armor.” 

Kakarot scoffed, “Please, like you could actually fight me.”

“That’s funny, didn’t I already get two hits in and I was even trying? We can do this the hard way if you’d prefer, and I can kick your ass again. I know Saiyans do enjoy a good fight.” Chi teased and crossed her arms.

Tired of the suspense and his frustration building again, Kakarot spat out, “Just shut up and tell me what you want.” 

Chi smiled and responded, “Excellent. Now, I need someone with your skills to help me collect the Dragon Balls. We then are going to entice Frieza with them and this map. I know he’s been searching for the Super Saiyan for years, and if this map can show us the Saiyan, and if we give him these two things and I act like I want to get back into his good graces, then he’ll have no choice but to hear me out. That’s when I’ll make my move.”

Kakarot looked at Chi confused. Sure, he’s heard of the Dragon Balls before, the Saiyans have been looking for them throughout the years but with no luck. He responds, “But the Dragon Balls are scattered throughout the galaxy. It’s impossible to find them.”

“Not entirely. I have something that can help us with that. But we need to get a move on. Frieza is hosting a gala at his palace at the end of the month, and I need to be there. I want to kill him right there.”

Sighing and wondering how he got himself in this mess, Kakarot ran a hand through his wet hair, his hood fell off his head after Chi’s blow. Sure, killing Frieza doesn’t bother him. He grew up hating Frieza and he’d be fine if he was dead but it was suicidal. Many Saiyans and others have tried and failed. 

But, Kakarot couldn’t lie about how enticing this all was to him. Sure, she's blackmailing but there could be worse things to be forced into, as he’s knows from experience. This adventure and the long awaited purpose that he has been searching for appealed to him more than he’d ever say. It also doesn’t hurt that he’d be traveling the galaxy with an attractive, feisty woman.

“Fine. I’ll do it. But as soon as Frieza is dead, I’m gone.”

“Deal. Now, let’s go. Oh, and you’ll have to drive. I’m slightly buzzed.”

“Of course you are.” Kakarot grumbled. “Well how do you expect us to get out of here. I don’t have a ship, remember?”

Chi turned to her pocket and pulled out a white capsule. She clicked the top and threw it out in front of her. Seconds later, a large, grey ship appeared in front of them. Grinning, Chi moves towards the ship and opened the door and walked onboard. Following her aboard, Kakarot looked around inside the ship and is surprised to see how large it is inside. The driver’s seat and controls were up left and to the right were sleeping quarters, a small kitchen, and supplies. This was much bigger than his ship and Kakarot was impressed. 

Sitting down in the driver’s seat, with Chi right next to him in the passenger seat, it took Kakarot a moment to get a handle on everything before he figured out each button and their function. Each ship is similar, it just takes a second to get one’s bearings. 

Turning to Chi, Kakarot asked, “It’s your show. Where are we going?”

Nodding, Chi pulled out a somewhat large white circular device and turned it on. The green grid glowed and then showed a small blip with a few other circular objects around it. 

“Alright, it’s in the sixth quadrant. We should take a day to get there if we stay on course.” 

Kakarot started the ship’s engine and the craft hovered above the ground before blasting off towards the sky. 

As they are racing to Earth’s atmosphere, Chi says, “This will be fun.”

Kakarot rolled his eyes and focused his attention on the clouds ahead of them, “If you say so.”

Chi laughed and put her arms behind her head while propping her feet up on the ship’s dashboard.

“Just don’t fall in love with me, okay?” She turns towards him.

Kakarot glanced at Chi and then turned back to the view in front of them.

“Not a chance.”

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The crash of pots and pans followed by hushed curses instantly woke Kakarot up. Groaning, he rolled to the wall of his small bunk, throwing the tiny, thin pillow he was using over his head, hoping it would block out any further noise. Getting comfortable on the hard mattress, Kakarot exhaled, willing himself to fall back to sleep. Slowly, his body fell deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. However, a moment later, a high pitched squeak followed by another dropped pot pulled him back.

Seething, Kakarot sat up in his top bunk, immediately hitting his head on the low ceiling. Annoyance and pain overtook him as he spun to the source of this early morning commotion.  _ Chi-Chi. _

Rubbing his head, Kakarot glared, “You’re kidding me, right?” 

Chi looked up at him innocently, “What do you mean?”

Kakarot’s chest burned with anger as he yelled, “You fucking woke me up!”

“Oh. I thought I was being quiet.”

“How the hell is that being quiet!” Kakarot raged and gestured to the pile of dishes scattered in the tight sink. 

Chi rolled her eyes and grabbed her cup of coffee, “Well you sleep like the dead so I didn’t think dropping kitchenware would wake you up.”

Kakarot wanted to scream into his pillow. Or punch the wall. He couldn’t decide which one would be more satisfying because Chi was driving him insane. They’ve only been on their journey for two days now, but being stuck on a ship with Chi made Kakarot wonder what he did to deserve this torture. She was loud, commanding, annoying, and always _there_. He could never have a moment of peace, and he desperately needed it. 

Luckily, they’ve already collected two of the Dragon Balls. Kakarot was amazed that they were real when they found the first orange ball. He’d heard rumors throughout his life about them, but seeing the small, orange orb up close was mind-blowing. They were on their way now to collect the third ball, which Kakarot was happy about. They were quickly finding the Dragon Balls and in no time they’d be on their path to Frieza. Kakarot was still unsure why Chi wanted to kill Frieza or how she planned on pulling it off. However, Kakarot couldn’t deny that having a chance to end that asshole was tantalizing, even if it would most likely kill him. 

Still pissed about his early wake up call, Kakakort hopped off the top bunk, landing on his feet with a thud. He stepped forward and swiped Chi’s cup from her hand.

“What the hell! Get your own.” She whined and punched his bare chest hard, making Kakarot step back a little. Slightly happy to get back at her, he raised the cup to his lips with a smirk, and took a sip, not breaking eye contact.

“Asshole.” Chi said bitterly and turned to find a clean cup. Kakarot finished and leaned over Chi, purposely invading her space like she has been doing to him the past few days to put down the cup. A sharp elbow found its way to his gut and Kakarot hissed.

Chi smiled and flipped her hair as she sauntered towards the front of the ship. Kakarot watched her walk away, which he didn’t usually mind since the view was always good, but right now he was not enjoying it. 

A while later, Kakarot joined Chi at the front of the ship. She turned as he flopped into the passenger seat next to her, crossing his arms while focused on the view in front of him.

“You’re in a good mood this morning!” Chi replied sarcastically.

“Bite me.” He replied emotionless and not looking at her.

“Keep talking to me like that and maybe I will.” She responded with a wink.

“You’re not funny.”

Chi rolled her eyes and turned back to driving the ship. 

“Where are we?” Kakarot questioned. 

“Just outside of Tundstra.”

“Hm. Not much life here, right?” Kakakrot asked and Chi nodded.

“Pretty cold planet too. Known for its many mountain ranges.” 

Curious, Kakarot finally looked at Chi, “You seem to know a lot about planets.”

Chi didn’t respond to that question and instead said flatly,”We will be entering the planet soon.”

As they descended into the planet’s atmosphere, the ship shook with impact. Eventually, they broke through the clouds and the surrounding view almost took Kakarot’s breath away. The planet was covered in pure white snow, and everything was very bright due to the planet’s sun’s rays bouncing off the snow. Chi was right though, the planet was covered in mountains, no flat land in sight. 

“Hey, can you check the radar?” She asked and Kakarot reached over to grab the white device. 

Turning it on, the grid glowed and Kakarot waited a moment for it to load. Finally, a small dot popped up and Kakarot read the radar.

“Looks like the Dragon Ball should be up ahead in that range.” He pointed and Chi turned the ship slightly to the right. Eventually, the dot grew bigger and bigger on the grid, indicating they were close. Closing in on the location of the ball, and surrounded by vast peaks, Chi turned to Kakarot. 

“Do you mind taking over?” She indicated to the steering wheel.

“Yeah. I’ll set us down on that ledge over there.” Kakarot stated and Chi shrugged. “No need.”

“What do you mean? We got to land to get the ball you know.”

“We’ll get it. Just steer the ship right over the location of the Dragon Ball.” Following her direction, Kakarot moved the ship a bit and the radar beeped, telling them that the location of the ball had been reached. The ship hovered over the spot and Chi stood up.

“Where are you going?” Kakarot quipped. She walked away, saying over her shoulder.

“I’m getting the Dragon Ball.”

Confused, he called after her, “Wait, what?”

Chi walked to the back of the ship and put on a white puffy jacket. Calling from the end, she shouted, “Just keep the ship here and when I give you a thumbs up, send down the ladder, it should be able to go that far.” 

Opening the hatch, cold air blew through the ship as Kakarot rushed towards the back, putting the controls in auto. As he approached Chi, she walked dangerously close to the edge.

“Are you insane!?” He screamed above the wind whistling through the ship. 

Chi turned to Kakarot, her black shiny hair blowing across her face, “I’ll be fine! Stop worrying.”

Frustrated, Kakarot retorted, “I can fly, dumbass. Just let me do it.”

Smirking, Chi teased the edge, barely on the ship, “And let you have all the fun. No thanks.”

Stepping back, Chi fell towards the peak of the mountain. Kakarot raced to the edge, watching her figure sail through the air, racing toward the snow.

_ When she gets back, she’s dead _ , Kakarot thought. Although considering this morning, he’s not sure why he even cares if she lives or dies. There was something that he couldn’t explain about her, but he shoved those thoughts down, forcing himself not to think about it further.

Glancing below to the snowy peaks of the mountain, Chi’s body was a small speck on the completely white peak, but luckily for Saiyan vision, he can just make her out. A minute or two later and she held up a thumb, indicating that she found the ball. Huffing, Kakarot found the ladder and used the button to automatically lower it. Soon there is a noticeable tug, indicating Chi is on and Kakarot raised the ladder. 

Soon, Chi is safely back on the ship with the Dragon Ball. Her face was flushed from the cold and she smiled widely.

“See, wasn’t that bad.”

“You are an idiot. I could have gotten it in half the time.”

“True, but I needed to get out of this ship. You’re crowding me.” She winked and Kakarot exploded.

“I’m crowding  _ you _ ?! Fuck, you are impossible.” Kakakort aggressively snatched the ball from Chi’s hand and slammed the button to shut the door.

He walked back up to the ship and took over the driver’s seat. Chi joined him later and sat down next to him, observing their collection of balls in the case to her right. 

Kakarot asked bluntly, “Do you have a death wish?”

Surprised, Chi stared at him, “What do you mean?”

Keeping his eyes forward, Kakarot took the ship off of autopilot and started the journey back to space. He continued, “Look, I’ve been taking chances my whole life. As a Saiyan warrior, it’s part of who I am. I’ve become accustomed to it and at this point of my life, the adrenaline high is what I need, it’s what I crave like any other Saiyan. That rush keeps us alive in battle and it maintains our sharp senses, so we welcome it. And I have a feeling that you also enjoy that high, right?” He briefly glanced at Chi who didn’t respond and kept her eyes forward. 

“It’s also dangerous to chase and through the years, I’ve seen a lot of people die because of it. Do you want to know how a vast majority died? They were reckless, just like you. Listen, I know you’ve been at this a long time and you can hold your own, but you’re too careless and that’s going to get you killed.”

“Come on, it was just a little-.”

Kakarot quickly snapped, “It was stupid. And you know it.”

Silence sat between them as Chi considered these words. Finally, she spoke her tone flat and baseless. “What are you saying then?”

Briefly, Kakarot turned his attention to her and then refocused on the ship’s sight before them, sighing.

“If you are serious about going after Frieza for reasons I’m still not sure about that’s fine, but you have to be smart about it. He’s the most notorious killer in the galaxy and he is always one step ahead. The Saiyans have been trying to get out from under his foot for years, and each attempt has failed. You have no idea who he is, Chi.”

“I know exactly who he is.”

Intrigued, Kakarot pressed on, “You do?”

Immediately, Chi shut him down. “Let’s just focus on the next Dragon Ball. We can’t waste any time.”

Kakarot nodded and continued to focus on driving the ship.  Chi snickered,  “Careful, Kakarot. You almost sounded like you care about me.” Chi leaned forward towards him.

Kakarot spat out, “Shut up. I was just saying that you’re stupid. But go ahead, get yourself killed, see if I care. Either way, it works out for me.”

Chi sat back in her seat, “If you think I’m too reckless then why don’t you show me a few of your moves. I hate to admit it but you have a point. Making a mistake around Frieza is fatal.” 

Curious, Kakarot looked at her. Her eyes seemed to be far off, lost in distant memory and thought.  _ How does she know Frieza so well? And what did she do to have a tyrant like Frieza have a price on her head?  _ Kakarot wondered.

Finally, Kakarot answered her, “Fine. We can start after we grab the next ball. I checked earlier and the radar says that we are close. I checked the radar earlier and it looks like the next Dragon Ball isn’t too far from here.”

Chi glanced at the radar and agreed, “Deal. This planet should be empty anyway. I wonder where the ball will be.” 

Kakarot, “What do you mean?”

Chi looked at him and peered out to the vast darkness of space, “You’ll see.”

An hour later, they landed on another distant planet, searching for the fourth Dragon Ball. This planet was completely different from the last, and in a way it reminded Kakarot of Earth. Luscious, green grass covered the planet with dense forests and bodies of water. The radar led them to a small, stone castle sitting on top of a ridge. Chi peered at the radar and then at the castle.

“Looks like the ball is in here. Interesting. Alright, let’s go-.”

“Hold on, we don’t know if it’s empty. Let’s keep our guard up.”

“Fine.” Chi conceded and together, they approached with caution. Entering the eerie quiet castle, Chi whispered, “This place is creepy.”

Kakarot couldn’t disagree with her, this place felt off, “Let’s just find the ball and get out of here.”

Glancing at the radar again, Chi responded, “It must be up ahead. The dot is getting bigger.”  Kakarot nodded and they both continued forward. Suddenly, a shout behind them caught their attention.

“Thieves! Guards, protect the Dragon Ball at all costs!” A small, plump man screamed.  Immediately, the castle came alive and a small group of soldiers covered with armor and swords ran towards Kakarot and Chi.

“We can’t let them get the ball. Our gods will look upon us with shame if we do.” One guard shouted as they all yelled and charged.

Bracing for the coming fight, Kakarot and Chi took fighting stances. The guards were not challenging opponents, and Kakarot killed the first person he encountered easily. A blade of a sword narrowly missed Kakarot’s cheek as he moved to the side. He ducked and dodged, punching his fist up and hard into the soldier's stomach armor, the metal crunching on impact, rendering the soldier helpless. Once he was down, Kakarot side-stepped and grabbed the spear of the next guard in front of him, crushing the weapon under his calloused, battle-worn hands. He flipped and landed right behind his newest challenger, smiling with bloodlust. In a sharp motion, Kakarot’s arms wrapped around the man’s neck. Mercilessly, Kakarot twisted his arms and snapped the guard’s neck, dropping the limp, lifeless body to the ground.

Next to him, Chi was also making progress with the other soldiers and in a moment of frustration she huffed, “This is boring.” 

Quickly, she stood straight and pointed her finger out towards the remaining mend. A small, yellow ki ball formed and she shot the blasts at the rest of the guards, straight through their hearts. 

_That move_ , Kakarot thought, witnessing her deadly attack. He couldn’t pinpoint where he heard about it, but it felt familiar.  Barely breaking a sweat, Kakarot nodded to the fat figure in front of them. “So, what about him?”

“I’ll deal with him.” Chi stated coldly, walking slowly over to the man in front of them. He started to cower and lower himself to the ground.

“Please, I beg you, I’ll give you anything you want. Just don’t hurt me.”

“Where is it?” Chi asked abrasively.

“O-Over there in the wall. You need to lift the stone.”

Chi turned to Kakarot and motioned to the wall. Stepping over the dead bodies of the guards, Kakaort stood in front of the wall and gazed at the stones, searching for one that would appear loose. Finally, he found it and pulled out the grey slab, revealing a deep shelf in the wall, with a shiny orb. Kakarot grabbed the pull and turned to Chi, holding up the orange ball.

“I-I remember you. You were with-.” The round man whispered below Chi, who looked down at him with immediate disdain. Picking up a loose large rock from the floor, Chi clobbered the man in the head with deadly force, his body hitting the floor with a thud. Blood immediately began to pool from his head wound and Chi gazed down at his dead body for a moment before turning to Kakarot.

“Let’s get out of here.”

* * *

A nervous voice trembled before uttering, “Sire, he is not on Earth anymore.”

A fist slammed hard into a gold plated throne, the impact leaving a dent in the arm of the chair.  The king growled, standing up from his throne in frustration. Glaring down at his subject bowed in front of him, he hissed, “What? Where has he gone now?”

“We don’t know. He was well hidden on Earth, we couldn’t find him until it was too late.”

Fury built in the king’s chest as he raised a hand full of ki, “Your failure is unacceptable.” he stated with callousness. 

With a shout, he shot a bright purple ball at his subject, the blast leaving nothing behind but smoke. Breathing heavily, the king sat back on his throne, frustrated. Moments later, a familiar sound brightened his mood.

Outside the room, heels clicked steadily against the marble floor, the sound growing closer to the king. Finally, the large chestnut doors opened, revealing a curvy, blue-haired woman.

“You summoned me, your Majesty.” The woman bowed and then straightened. Her long, blue hair sat perfectly on her shoulders, white and gold Saiyan armor hugging her body perfectly.

She approached the king, briefly noticing a burn on the marble floor as she sauntered over to his throne.  “Another scout killed?”

“He was worthless and failed his mission. A quick death was too kind.”

Smirking, the woman approached and sat on the king’s lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and lifting her legs to lay across him.

“Vegeta, you can’t kill everyone who disappoints you. If you keep that up, you’ll have no subjects left.”

“Don’t tell me how to do my business, Bulma.” King Vegeta snapped and she ran a gentle hand through his black, spiky hair.

“They didn’t capture him then?”

“No, they lost him. But, we have scouts everywhere. He can’t run forever.”

“Well then, there’s not much we can do but wait, right?”

Grabbing her hand in his hair, King Vegeta looked at Bulma. She was his mistress, a woman who came into his life and completely enthralled him. Unlike his worthless, weak wife, Bulma was fiery and sharp, not afraid to stand up to the cruel king, which he loved even if at times it annoyed him. 

“I will find Kakarot. And I will kill him for his crimes.” He said with determination.

Bulma nodded and stroked his hand with her thumb, “I know. But, we have to focus on other things right now. We’ve got business to take care of.”

The king groaned in exhaustion but he knew Bulma was right. They had to listen to the weekly report of what was happening on Planet Vegeta, what soldiers were out on missions, and gather all that information to report back to Frieza. Although their relationship will never be easy, the Saiyans and Frieza were able to come to a mutual understanding, something that King Vegeta still has no idea how his father was able to achieve. For helping with the conquests of planets, Saiyans were allowed to govern themselves and could keep a small percentage of the earnings they received from selling planets. Frieza kept the remaining cost and told the Saiyans what planets he wanted to destroy and how quickly. 

It was still a tense relationship, and King Vegeta would like nothing more than to completely be free from Frieza, but for now their deal worked. Especially after his father heard rumors of Frieza threatening to destroy the planet, King Vegeta knew well enough not to change things and to keep the status quo for the sake of his people.

Looking to the guards, King Vegeta waved at his guard to let in his council to discuss these matters. Bulma shifted in his lap to a more comfortable position, and his hand slid down to rest on her ass. As the usual banter and discussion droned on though, there was one persistent thought on King Vegeta’s mind, a thought that would not give the king peace. 

_ Kakarot. _

King Vegeta silently swore to himself that even if he was searching for that traitor for years to come, he would bring him to Kakarot to his knees and make him beg for mercy before bestowing a brutal death on him. 

It seemed like a fitting end for a Saiyan who betrayed his people. 

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Is that all you got?” 

Kakarot teased and narrowly missed a sharp jab to his side as he evaded Chi’s attack. Frustrated, she groaned and spinned, throwing a high kick towards his cheek, which Kakarot easily blocked with his forearm. Smiling, he peeked out from his raised arm and pushed her leg off of him.

Chi straightened and stood back into a fighting stance. “Stop messing with me and fight. And you better not hold back.” She spat out and punched him straight in the jaw, a blow he was not expecting, but it was his fault because he lost focus.

They have been training on and off for the last few days on their way to collect the fifth Dragon Ball. Unlike the other trips, the journey to this destination was taking longer than Chi would have liked. Frieza’s gala was quickly approaching and she had no time to mess around. Luckily, the training sessions were a way to dispel her frustrations. Each session was intense, both Kakarot and Chi taking each lesson seriously. Well, usually, but today Kakarot was a cocky bastard. 

Kakarot stood in a defensive position, ready for Chi’s next attack. After an exhale, she charged again, this time more aggressive and quick. Their blocks and strikes soon turned into a calculated rhythm. Chi found an opening. Forcefully, Chi ducked and then drove a sharp elbow into his jaw. Caught off guard again, Kakarot groaned from the blow and smirked up at her.

“Alright, maybe I was wrong.” Kakarot breathed and stood up.

They both reset their positions and move towards each other, this time trading punches.

“I’ll admit it, you are good, Chi.” Kakarot spoke out between his attacks. He was not lying, she was a skilled warrior but she still had a lot to learn, especially if she was going to go up against Frieza. 

Suddenly, Kakarot changed his pace and accelerated, finding an error in Chi’s defense. Landing a devastating punch to Chi’s gut, she leaned forward with the force of the attack, her eyes wide in pain and spit bursting out of her mouth. Chi fully slumped over gasping, sliding down to her knees and holding her stomach. 

Looking down at Chi, Kakarot smirked, “But I’m better.”

Pain echoing through her body, Chi panted as she asked through shaky breaths, “H-how did you do t-that?”

“Variable acceleration. You appear like you are in pace with your opponent, but then you switch up your tactics, changing the speed of your attacks and catching your opponent off guard. Highly effective.”

“Well, whatever that was, you have got to teach me it before I face Frieza.” She groaned through the pain.

“Eh maybe, I don’t know if you are there yet though.” Kakarot replied.

Anger flashed in Chi’s eyes and Kakarot looked down at her and noticed how attractive she looked while she was pissed. Her long black hair was up in a ponytail and had some pieces falling out while her tight, white tank top accentuated her chest, which was blotchy and red in anger. Sure, if he really wanted to, he could have had her flat on her back right when they started their session but he liked messing with her as much as he could, especially if he got this view which was intoxicating. Chi was enticing, even if she was annoying.

Kakarot put his hands up in defense, “I’m kidding! Sheesh calm down. Look, you are a formidable fighter, I’ll give you that but I think if you can hone some of your skills, you’ll be even deadlier. Frieza won’t know what hit him.” 

He reached out a hand and Chi took it, letting him pull her up from the tile floor. Chi stood and glared at him with fury before walking to the small counter for water. 

Eyeing her, Kakarot remembered the finishing move Chi used on their last Dragon Ball trip two days ago. He knew she was a brutal warrior, which he respected because he was one as well but that move was unique, and now after some time thinking about it, he has heard of it before. He can’t remember if it was while he was on a mission or talking with his fellow soldiers but he heard of it before he actually saw it. It’s a signature move of Frieza’s

Grabbing his towel, Kakarot wiped his face and put the cloth around his shoulders before asking Chi, “Alright, I told you one of my moves, now you have to tell me one of yours. Where did you learn that technique of Frieza’s?” 

He briefly can see a look of shock on Chi’s face but it’s quickly replaced by annoyance. 

“Why should I tell you?” She asked and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms while sipping her water.

Grinning, Kakarot moved across the space between them, getting closer and invading her space. “For anyone else, they wouldn’t be able to connect the dots, but I’m not like everyone else. So I’ll ask again.” He leaned forward, placing his arm out in front of him as his hand learned against the cabinet, lowering his face to be right in Chi’s face. “Where’d you learn his move?”

Chi clenched her jaw and looked up at Kakarot. Why was he asking these questions? She wouldn’t, no she couldn’t tell him anything about her past or her relationship with Frieza. It would complicate matters, and she had to have her wits about her. Chi needed Kakarot for his map and his strength, that’s all. She had to keep things status quo to make sure he wouldn’t leave and take the key to getting in front of Frieza. 

Smiling up at him with false kindness, Chi punched him hard in the same spot as he hit her earlier, and with as much force. Wincing, Kakarot bent over in pain and Chi whispered in his ear, “Payback.” 

She then shoved him away from her and wiggled her way around him.

“What the hell!” He groaned and clutched his stomach.

“I’m not telling you a damn thing so don’t ask me again. Also, you reek.” She laughed and pinched her nose at the furious Saiyan in front of her, hoping to change subjects.

Recovering from Chi’s cheap shot, Kakarot slowly stood tall and snapped at her, “Well so do you. Gah, I could kill you right now.” 

Rubbing his bare stomach which was still red from her punch, Chi looked Kakarot up and down before replying, “You could try, but then who would keep you company on this big ship?”

“I’d think I’ll go with loneliness instead of being with you at the moment.” He snarled and wiped his towel across his face.

Rolling her eyes, Chi continued, “But seriously we do smell. We’ve been in these clothes for days now. Lucky for you, I have just the thing.”

“Oh joy.” Kakarot answered emotionlessly as Chi grabbed a small white capsule from the cabinet and threw it. Instantly, new clothes and armor appeared on the floor. On the grey tile ship floor laid two outfits, complete with armor, a long top, pants and boots.

Kakarot walked over and picked up a chest plate of armor, which was completely black. Immediately noticing the similarities, he turned to Chi.

“This is Saiyan armor. Where’d you get these?”

Chi walked over to grab her outfit. Stretching the material of her shirt, she answered, “Bulma. She made these for me a while back and replicated Saiyan armor because she knows first-hand how versatile and strong your armor is.”

Kakarot would never admit it, but seeing armor similar to what he’s worn all his life made him miss his planet and his home, yearning for when things were normal for him. Nostalgia filled his body and mind, but he quickly shoved those thoughts and feelings aside.

“Great.” He responded flat toned and hard before grabbing his armor and turning to the bunk beds to change. 

Chi absentmindedly turned and caught a glimpse of his naked back. Sure, she’s been on this ship with Kakarot for a few days now and he was often shirtless, which Chi did not object to but she never truly looked at his features, until now. Gazing at his back muscles flex and ripple while he moved to put on his new black shirt, Chi was in a trance. Now, truly looking at his back, she finally got a good look at the large, red and pink scar running across it. The scar stretched from his left shoulder blade across his back and stopped at his waist, covering most of his back. She noticed it briefly in passing but this is the first time she’s seen it up close.

“Can I help you?” Kakarot looked over his shoulder, his black elastic shirt halfway on his body.

“That scar.”

“It’s noth-.”

“What happened?” Chi blurted with a hint of actual worry and care.

Shoving the shirt down, Kakarot snapped, “Just stop, Chi.”

Chi stammered, “Kakarot-.”

Quickly grabbing the rest of his outfit, Kakarot stormed off to finish changing and Chi stood in her same spot, mentally cursing at herself. _What am I doing? I can’t show any emotion!? Especially to him_ she thought and shook those thoughts away. 

Changing into the completely black Saiyan armor, Chi smoothed out her pants and briefly looked at herself in the mirror. The armor hugged every curve on her body and the flexible material was perfect for combat. Smiling with satisfaction, Chi moved to fix her disheveled hair, putting her hair down and restyling her ponytail, letting it sit somewhat high on her head. 

Walking down the hall to the controls, Kakarot was already seated in the driver’s seat, completely dressed when Chi entered the room. Chi looked and sat down next to him, neither of them speaking. Finally, Kakarot spoke up in a tone that Chi’s never heard from him. It was soft and filled with emotion, something that if she allowed herself to feel, it would break her.

“I don’t like talking about the scar, okay? It just.” He sighed with exasperation and continued, not looking at Chi, “It just brings up a lot of things that I don’t want to think about.”

Chi looked at him and nodded, “Understood.” She couldn’t fault him for locking things away since she’s an expert on that. Talking about the past, especially her past just brought pain and she could respect this boundary. 

Wanting to change subjects as quickly as he possibly can, Kakarot cleared his throat and said, “The radar says we’re close, probably another hour.”

“Great. So, full disclosure, I’ve been to this planet before.”

“Of course you have.”

“Hopefully, the ball is not where I think it is, but if it is, this might take a bit longer than expected. Just keep your guard up.” Chi yawned and eased into the chair.

The lull of the ship and a wave of exhaustion suddenly made Chi very tired, but she fought off sleep. It was the only time she was vulnerable and she hated it. But, eventually it was too great and too hard to resist.

_An eerie silence surrounded the green and lush valley. Sunshine warmed her face and for a moment, Chi was at peace. Closing her eyes, she focused on the birds chirping around her and the quietness of the mountains, her home. A boom shook her out of her trance, and she shot her eyes open to witness the beautiful green pastures on fire, with a familiar cackle echoing around her._

_“Chi-Chi!” A loud, male voice bellowed._

_“NOOO!” She wailed and reached for the voice, unable to reach it._

“Chi.Chi! Wake up.” A strong, low voice startled her awake, a large hand gripping her arm.

Panting and regaining her bearings, Chi looked around and remembered where she was. 

“Are you alright?” Kakarot looked at her with furrowed brows and concern.

“Y-yah. Just a dream.”

Kakarot gazed at her and decided not to press further. Instead, he stated, “We’re landing soon. You passed out about an hour ago. I think that’s the first time I’ve actually seen you asleep.”

Chi shook away her nightmare and said, “I don’t need a lot of sleep. Anyways, landing soon. Got it.”

Looking around, Chi immediately knew where they were and she sighed, “Shit. Of course the Dragon Ball is here.”

“What?” Kakarot asked and Chi crossed her arms as the ground grew closer, their landing imminent.

“I hope you’re ready for a fight.”

Smirking, Kakarot cracked his knuckles and looked at the planet before them with excitement.

“I’m always ready for a fight.”

* * *

Walking into the crowded, smoky club Chi was flooded with memories. It’s been a long time since she’s been here. Eyeing the place, she can tell that nothing has changed. Shouts and screams could be heard throughout the room as the main attraction in the center of the club had everyone’s focus.

A large cage sat in the middle of the club, with about 10 fighters inside, fighting to the death. People surrounded the cage, shaking the metal and rooting for whoever they put money on. The lighting was low and dark blue strobe lights flashed across the club, giving a more intimate atmosphere. 

“Anonymous!” A voice called behind them and Kakarot and Chi turned.

“Tossu!” Chi smiled at the stranger. The new face was blue with white hair surrounding her features. Wearing a suit with some wide legged pants and heels, she seemed like she knew this place well or was the owner, Kakarot waited to find out more.

“So, haven’t seen you in these parts for a while. Space cops still after you?” Tossu smiled and Chi smirked, “Yah but they are all just rookies with guns these days. The club looks great. I see the cage matches are still in full swing.”

Kakarot looked around, still trying to figure out what this place was and how Chi knew this club, but he knew better to ask questions. A bright sign caught his attention though and he read it. The club was called The No Name Club. Original he thought with a grunt. 

“Well, we have to stay a float someway right, no matter how illegal things might get here. Speaking of, what brings you in?”

Chi sighed and Kakarot looked towards her curious. He caught a glimpse of her black armor and noted how well it fit, focusing on every curve. Quickly, looking back up so it didn’t appear like he was checking her out, Kakarot waited for Chi to answer.

“Well, here’s the thing. We are hunting the Dragon Balls and our radar led us here. Do you know where we could find it?”

Tossu pointed at Kakarot and replied with a look that conveyed she caught him earlier and smiled, “First off, who’s your gorgeous friend?”

“My name is Ka-.”

“Goku. His name is Goku.” Chi interrupted and Kakarot looked at her with suspicion. She’s up to something he thought.

“Nice to meet you, Goku.” Tossu said with skepticism and continued, “The ball, I know where that is.” Pointing up to the second floor in a black glass box with spotlights on it, the Dragon Ball shined.

“Great, so can we have it?” Kakarot asked but Chi looked at Tossu, her face serious.

“That’s the prize then?”

“Yep. And you know the rules.” Tossu crossed her arms.

“Fine. Sign us up for the next match.” Chi stated and Tossu nodded before walking away.

Chi moved forward to follow Tossu, but Kakarot grabbed her arm. 

“What is going on, Chi.” He demanded and tightened his grip.

Chi glared at him, “This is a fight club. We have to fight and win to get the prize, which today is the Dragon Ball. Most of the time, it’s money.”

“How do you know so much about this place?”

“I used to come here a few years ago.”

Kakarot looked over at the brutal fight happening and noticed some bodies were down and not moving. 

“So, this is a death club then? Fight to win or you die right?”

“Yep. And I just signed us up for the next match.”

Kakarot looked down at Chi. Loosening his grip, Kakarot said in a deadly tone, “Fine, but if we are doing this, then we have to work together, alright?”

“What, you don’t trust me?” Chi answered incredulously and Kakarot retorted.

“Should I?”

Chi waited a moment and searched his eyes before replying, “For this, yes. I’ve fought in that cage many times and I know what I am doing, so you can trust me. We have to if we are going to get out of here alive. Can you do that?”

Can he? Kakarot thought. Chi has always been hard to read and there has been plenty of times where he’s let his guard down and she’s screwed him. However, he felt like he could trust her and moreover an overwhelming urge to protect her in the ring was present in his instincts, a feeling that he never felt before for anyone except his family.

“Yes.”

“Good. Don’t worry. I obviously won my matches if I’m still alive right?” Chi grinned and walked towards the ring. Following her lead, they walked through the hoards of people watching the fight, which looked like it was coming to an end. Kakarot could admit that he was excited for a fight. He hasn’t had a good match in quite some time and he’d hate to get rusty. 

Walking up to the holding area, two other females approached Chi. 

“Anonymous, I thought you died.” 

“Well, you would have enjoyed that right?” Chi snickered and hugged the purple female alien. She had a tight white top on and leggings with boots, long black braids hanging off her shoulders. 

The other female smiled and said, “What, I don’t get a hug?” Lightly punching the girl’s shoulder, Chi teased, “Nope.” The green female alien presented with short brunette hair and a metal body armor all over. 

Chi turned to Kakarot, who had his arms crossed and wore an emotionless expression, unfazed with all the pleasantries.

“These ladies and I fought together in the ring a couple of times. Obviously never against each other or we wouldn’t be here right now. This is K and AV.”

Both women looked Kakarot over with a smirk before turning to Chi. “Couldn’t stay away could you?” AV asked and Chi rolled her eyes.

“Actually, I’m here for the next match. I want the prize.”

“Nice. Well we already fought today, so we will be watching. This current fight is for amateurs while the fight you're in is for the prize. At least I hope so.”

“It is. Tossu made sure of it. I’m not playing games tonight.”

K put her hand on her hip, “And I’m guessing your friend here is joining?”

“Yah, I am. It’s been a while since I had a good fight, I’m looking forward to it.” Stretching his arms and cracking his neck, Kakarot moved a bit to warm up his muscles. Sitting on the ship for so long made his body tight, which he hated. 

K’s cheeks flushed a bit and turned to Chi, “We’ll be watching. Give us a good show.”

“Is that even a question, K? You know she was the best fighter here.” AV snarked and nodded to Chi before they both walked away.

“I didn’t know you had friends.” Kakarot grinned and Chi punched his arm hard.. 

“Fuck off.”

“Ow.” Kakarot hissed and rubbed his arm. Turning to fully face the cage now, Kakarot lowered his voice so that only Chi could hear.

“Alright. No mercy, no risky moves, just go for the kill.”

Chi turned serious and agreed, “Don’t need to tell me that.”

“Good.”

A bell chimed signaling the end of the fight and only one fighter stood in the cage, surrounded by dead bodies. The crowd cheered and eventually the ring was cleared, with the only evidence of a fight previously there was the stained white mat soaked in blood. 

“Patrons of The No Name Club...tonight we are offering a special treat. She hasn’t been here for quite sometime but she’s back for one night only...Anonymous!” The voice of Tossu pierced through the club from the microphone and the crowd roared, some people rattling the cage and stomping on the ground. 

“Didn’t know I’ve been traveling space with not only a wanted woman but also a celebrity.” Kakarot quipped, his arms crossed tightly over his body.

“What, I fought and I won. They like that here.” Chi smiled and waved to the ground.

“And as her trusty sidekick, Goku will be joining her!”

“Sidekick! What the hel-.” Kakarot angrily yelled and Chi grabbed his arm.

“Calm down. She’s got to appeal to the crowd somehow.”

Growling, Kakarot shook Chi’s hand off his arm and snapped annoyed, “Where’d the name Goku even come from?”

“My father’s friend always wanted a son and if he had one, he would have named him that.” Chi said in barely a whisper, her voice sounding far away and wrapped in pain. Blinking herself out of her trance, Chi looked at Kakarot with a serious expression.

“It was the only name I could think of so just deal with it.”

“Fighters! Enter the cage.” The door automatically opened, and Chi stepped in along with Kakarot. Being back in this club, in this cage brought back many memories for Chi. Times where she fought to live and trusted no one, times where she was cold and merciless. Those times were mixed with some of her happiest moments and some of her darkest days. She was back but she had a mission, a goal. Chi’s mind was clear and intent on succeeding.

“Now, can the amateur fighters from the previous matches enter the ring. For those of you who don’t know the rules, I’ll explain them right here, just once.” Tossu’s voice was loud and clear as she continued, “The amateur fighters who won their matches will fight against these two experienced fighters. The last one standing wins. The only rule is...there are NO RULES!” She shouted and the club erupted.

Chi took a fighting stance and Kakarot followed suit, ready and calm for this match. The fighters across from them varied in expression, ranging from scared shitless to stone cold. 

Kakarot took a deep breath, centering his mind and body like he usually did before battle. He was ready to break some necks. Smirking, Kakarot stared down his first victim.

_DING_

The bell tolled and all the fighters charged at each other, chaos ensuing in the small metal cage. Chi’s first blow was a sharp gut punch, and as her opponent felt the force of the punch, stopping for a moment, Chi unclenched her hand and raised it, palm up against the man’s chest. Forming a bright ball at the front of her hand, Chi shot a large energy blast through the man’s chest, killing him instantly. 

Across the ring, Kakarot was making quick work with the fighter in front of him. Striking his side hard, Kakarot jumped and punched the fighter square in the jaw, forcing him down on the mat. Raising his fingers to form a gun, Kakarot shot a fatal blow through the downed opponent’s heart.

Dodging an energy blast, Chi found herself momentarily distracted and thrown up against the cage wall, the metal links digging painfully in her back. Her attacker had her hands wrapped around Chi’s neck, squeezing tightly. Chi used a fist to forcefully hit at the fighter’s elbows, which immediately made her lose her grip on Chi’s neck. Seizing the opportunity, Chi charged and leaped, wrapping her lower body on the figher’s head and shoulders. Using her signature move in the cage, Chi smiled maliciously. Pulling her upper body up from the warrior’s shoulder, Chi grabbed onto the ceiling of the cage and wrapped her inner thighs hard against the neck below her. Gribbing as hard as she can, Chi slowly allowed her opponent to lose air and suffocate, falling to the ground with a thud. Hanging on the the top, Chi looked down at her victim for a moment before jumping down.

Witnessing Chi’s extraordinary move, Kakarot smiled with respect at Chi before grabbing his latest challenger’s shoulder and flipping them hard on the mat below, Kakarot using a quick wrist lock and his opponent’s bodyweight to accomplish this technique. The hand to hand combat in this fight varied by fighter and experience but Kakarot was in his element, the rush of excitement and adrenaline coursing through him. 

Using his sharpened senses to his advantage, Kakarot briefly caught a glimpse of Chi’s back turned. She was busy trading strikes with her opponent, the battle proving to be harder than she anticipated initially. The fighter punched Chi hard in the cheek, and Chi’s ears rang as she tried to steady herself, the blow hitting her harder than she expected. Kakarot noticed the effect of the hit on Chi and with a shout, he fired a powerful blast at her opponent, leaving nothing behind. The match now came down to Kakarot, Chi, and one more player, who just shot a blast directly towards Chi, who was still recovering to react but it was too late for her to dodge. 

Moving faster than sound, Kakarot appeared in front of Chi, effectively blocking the energy blast with his forearm.

“Thanks.” Chi said appreciatively through labored breaths and Kakarot nodded, readying himself again in a fighting stance.

“One more.” Kakarot whispered and Chi mimicked his stance.

“Want to work on it together?” Chi asked and Kakarot responded.

“Usually I’d say fuck no but we need that Dragon Ball so we can’t mess around. I’ll charge his left, you charge right?”

“Got it.”

Shouting as she charged, Chi followed Kakaort’s plan and punched the challenger with a strong uppercut. Dazed by the blow, the man backed up into Kakarot who in turn punched him hard in the kidney, causing blood to squirt out of the man’s mouth. Learning forward again, the man staggered to Chi, who quickly placed her hands on either side of his and twisted, instantly snapping his neck. 

“Nice!” Kakarot raised his hand and gave Chi a high five and she wiped some sweat off her forehead, high fiving him back.

“Thanks for that save back there. That bitch had a _hell_ of a right hook.” Chi winched and Kakaort shrugged and was going to reply before he was interrupted by the announcer.

“Fighters, the match is not over!” Tossu yelled over the loudspeaker, and Chi looked up confused. 

“But, we are a team? Experienced fighter teams don’t have to have a last man standing.”

“It’s been a while, Anonymous but the rules have changed. Last man standing counts for all fights now. One of you will have to lose.”

Kakarot looked to Chi as she cursed, “Shit.”

A brief movement in the crowd drew Kakarot’s attention away from the present issue, and his heart immediately froze. Two Saiyan scouts stood in the back, staring directly at Kakarot. _They finally caught me_ he thought as he looked at him, and they acknowledged they knew exactly who he was.

_Damnit_. Thinking quickly about his next move, he took a deep breath and charged at Chi.

“What the hell are you doing?” Chi shouted as she ducked from his fist and put up her hands in defense.

“There’s only one way!” Kakarot yelled in a deadly tone and threw another strike, landing his fist squarely in Chi’s side. Hissing, Chi stumbled, “We can figure a way out of this without killing each other!”

“But that’s the thing. I want to kill you.”

Chi’s eyes went wide for a brief moment and then darkened, “You bastard.”

“It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Kakarot charged and Chi attacked, sliding her leg quickly under his, slamming him to the ground. Digging her heel into his throat, Chi sneered at him as she looked down.

“I should have never trusted you. I should have killed you by now.”

Driving a hard punch into her inner thigh, Chi winced and lost her control, allowing Kakarot to flip onto his feet. Not missing a beat, Kakarot landed consecutive brutal punches to Chi’s stomach, sides and jaw, making her weak and her defenses useless. This proved to be a fatal error for Chi. Faster then light, Kakarot zipped and stood behind her, bringing his arm around her neck, placing his elbow at the center. With his other arm behind her head, Kakarot slowly started to apply pressure to his bicep, beginning to cut off her air.

Chi struggled vehemently against his hold, moving and scratching at his arms with her nails but his hold and strength were too much for her.

“Ssh, calm down. There’s nothing you can do.” Kakarot whispered against her ear and kept applying force against her throat slowly.

“W-why?” Chi wheezed, her struggle against his grip weakening.

“I’m sorry.” Kakarot said, genuinely meaning it.

Soon, her struggles ceased and her body fell limp against his arms.

Looking down at Chi’s body in his arms, he was surprised to see her expression peaceful, despite the circumstances. He’ll admit it, her features were beautiful, even with the various cuts and bruises across her face. Kakarot’s emotions were all over the place and he was deeply troubled and conflicted, hating that it came down to this. The overwhelming guilt and self loathing were consuming his thoughts as he continued to gaze at Chi’s motionless body. 

_What have I done?_

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my friends for their support. I would not have had the courage to write let alone post this story without you all. This one is for you! 
> 
> Also, shout out to my server friends @JJ and @Avie for their help with this chapter. It was much appreciated and I can’t thank you enough.

**Chapter 5**

“Goku has defeated Anonymous!” Tossu cheered through the speakers but Kakarot’s senses felt like he was underwater. A high pitched tone rang in his ear as he continued to stare at Chi’s lifeless body. Finally, he glanced at the crowd, where spectators were cheering and shouting his fake name. Movement caught his attention as the Saiyans shuffled through the crowd and Kakarot shook off his guilt for the moment. Gently picking up Chi and putting her body over his shoulder, Kakarot walked out of the cage and stormed directly to Tossu. 

“Alright, I won. Give me the Dragon Ball.” He said sternly and anxiously. 

“Of course.” Gesturing to the second floor guards, they grabbed the display box and ran downstairs to the announcer’s table. “Here.” Tossu said as she passed the ball to Kakarot. He quickly grabbed it and turned to walk towards the exit. 

“Wait! Is she really...dead?” Tossu asked with grief and sadness.

Kakarot nodded, “I’m giving her a proper burial. She was difficult but everyone deserves that.” 

Tossu sadly smiled and waved him off, and Kakarot shoved his way through the crowd, pushing drunk aliens and creatures away from his path. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. 

Bursting through the club doors, Kakarot quickened his pace and jogged to an empty part of the parking lot, far away from the club. He hoped he wasn’t too late. 

Shoving his hand into his armor pocket, he took out the ship capsule and threw it out in front of him, watching the ship appear with smoke surrounding it. Now to focus on the real task at hand.

Carefully, Kakarot knelt down on the sandy surface below him and moved Chi’s body off of his shoulder. He placed his hand under her head to cushion it as he set her down on the ground. Removing his hand from her head, his hand momentarily paused above Chi’s soft, pale cheek. The overwhelming urge to tuck a stray piece of her black, wavy hair behind her ear distracted him for a moment. Shaking off this thought, he took his hand off her face and clenched it.

“What the  _ hell _ am I doing?” Kakarot hissed.

Refocused, Kakarot put his two fingers right under Chi’s chin and pressed into her skin. Seconds later, Chi’s eyes snapped open and she sat up, gasping her air.

“Just take it easy.” He calmly stated and touched her arm as Chi looked around, her eyes and breathing racing. Finally, her eyes focused on Kakarot’s and her memory of what led to this moment came back to her. Chi’s eyes burned with fury as she seethed.

“You fucking BASTARD!” She shouted and dove at him, but Kakarot avoided her attack and stood.

“Look, you can kick my ass later but right now we need to get on that ship and get out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, you backstabbing son of a bitch!” Chi stood and wobbled, the effects of the match, especially Kakarot’s blows hitting her.

“Chi-.”

“That’s a neat trick, Kakarot.” A deep voice spoke behind Kakarot. He sighed before turning to it.

“So you finally found me. Took you long enough.” Kakarot teased and the two Saiyans growled. The one who previously spoke wore the typical Saiyan armor, his tail wrapped around his waist and his jet black hair tied in a long ponytail. His comrade who stood next to him was dressed similarly but had a short, buzzed haircut. They both clenched their jaws and the second Saiyan spoke.

“It doesn’t matter because we caught you. And now you are going to pay for your crimes. The king wants us to bring you back alive.”

Kakarot laughed, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Look at that, Kakarot. More people that want you dead. Well, I’ll let you boys do my dirty work. Thanks for the help.” Chi stated, emotionless and turned to walk towards the ship.

“Don’t forget, Chi. You need me.” Kakarot called from over his shoulder, causing Chi to pause. 

Continuing, Kakarot said, “Hate me all you want but you need me to get to Frieza. Without that map, your plan is not as appealing and we both know it. Stay here for a minute longer and then you can yell at me all you want. This shouldn’t take too long.” 

Chi huffed and turned to face the action.  _ Seeing him get his ass kicked would be nice to see,  _ she thought. 

“Damn you!” One of the Saiyans shouted and fired a blast right at Kakarot. With a smirk, he deflected and moved quickly, faster than eyes could see. A second later, Kakarot’s fist collided with the Saiyan’s chest with such force that shock waves emitted from the blow, surrounding the fighters. The Saiyan’s eyes rolled back in pain and he collapsed, not breathing. Kakarot stood tall and looked at the other soldier.

“Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Y-You traitor! King Vegeta will hear about this and when you’re caught, you're going to hang for this.”

“Who said you’ll be telling the king anything?” Kakarot deadpanned. 

In a frustrated scream, the last Saiyan scout charged at Kakarot and punched him square in the jaw with Kakarot’s head turning with the blow. Smiling, Kakarot pushed against the fist, eventually facing his opponent head on with a deadly glare. 

Kakarot moved at lightning speed and eventually had his hand through the Saiyan’s chest. The Saiyan shuddered and as Kakaort pulled his fist through, the scout’s body fell to the sandy ground with a thud. 

“You had to live...dammit.” Chi groaned and stormed to the ship, Kakarot following close behind her. 

Entering the ship, Kakarot turned to close the door. Looking at his blood soaked hand, he sighed and decided to get this upcoming argument started. “Alright before you yell at me, let me just explain.” He turned to face Chi and immediately her fist collided hard with his jaw, sending him stumbling back against the ship’s wall. Wiping the blood from his nose, Kakarot stood and faced Chi.

“That’s fair. I deserved that.”

“Explain.” Chi growled and crossed her arms.

“I had to do it, Chi. I saw the scouts in the stands and I knew we had to get out of there fast. And I had to make your death look real to get the Dragon Ball or we would have been in that cage forever.”

“The ball I get, that rule was stupid but why were you so worried about the scouts? You handled them without breaking a sweat.”

Kakarot rubbed the blood off his hands, looking down while doing so, “I didn’t want to kill them if I didn’t have to. They are Saiyans after all.”

“Ah that’s where you draw the line, but basically killing me you’re fine with. Good to know.”

“I wasn’t fine with it. It was necessary.” Kakarot looked up with a serious look, brows furrowed and Chi’s patience began to thin.

“You could have told me!” She shouted with fury.

“What, like you tell me anything!” Kakarot yelled back and said further. “Chi, I still don’t know why you are after Frieza or what your relationship is with him. You know his moves and you have been to planets I’ve never even heard of. You don’t tell me anything so why should I tell you a damn thing.”

With a shout, Chi swung to hit Kakarot again but he stopped her fist, catching her wrist and squeezing tightly against it, “I wouldn’t try that again.”

“I don’t have to say anything to you. The little trust I had in you is gone and I should have known better! And for the record, if we are talking about hiding things from each other, you can’t say you’re the most forthcoming person either, Kakarot!”

Kakarot’s temper started to rise and he glared down at Chi’s face, getting closer to her, “Why would I say anything to you when I don’t even know why you are so obsessed with Frieza!”

A nerve was struck and Chi’s face showed her shock. Forcefully breaking her wrist from Kakarot’s hand, she answered in a deadly calm voice, “I’m done.” She turned to walk away from Kakarot, but he wasn’t done with this fight yet. 

He called after her, “Yah, run away, Chi! It’s what you're best at right? Fuck! You dragged me on this stupid mission and won’t even tell me why. What did Frieza do to you?!”

Chi quickly turned and marched right up to Kakarot so she was in his face. She looked at him with a fury. Her expression was mixed with emotions that she’s never shown him.

“You want to know so fucking bad!? He took EVERYTHING from me!” Chi’s voice cracked with her passionate scream, and tears welled in her eyes. A sob escaped her lips and as much as Chi tried to conceal these emotions, they were not being locked away like they usually were. She was exposed and she hated showing anyone her true feelings. Especially  _ him _ .

Kakarot felt almost as guilty as he did in the ring. He didn’t mean to bring up this kind of pain, and the urge to hold her against him as she sobbed became more dominant in his mind. 

“Chi-.” Kakarot said in a whisper and she held up a hand.

“I’m done. We have two Dragon Balls left and then we’ll be on time for the gala. After that you can leave.” She turned and walked towards the front of the ship, limping still from the match. Kakarot watched as she entered the control room and closed the door. Sighing and running a frustrated hand through his hair, Kakarot went to the bathroom to clean up.

Closing the door for privacy, Chi slid down against the metal, its cold surface sending shivers up her back. Wrapping herself up in a tight ball against the door, she covered her mouth as silent cries consumed her. These emotions have been locked away for so long and now they are escaping with force, shaking her body and making her feel things she thought were long dead. She hated this. Chi hated feeling vulnerable and weak. Shutting off things such as love, grief, sadness, and a variety of other emotions had been beaten into her so many times, she had to adapt to an emotionless existence to survive. It was the only way. Through years of learned experiences, Chi conditioned herself to not trust anyone but Kakarot somehow slipped in, and before he almost killed her, she could feel herself wanting to trust him and hell, even beginning to. This incident just proved to her again that she shouldn’t trust anyone.

* * *

The next few days the ship was filled with silence and awkwardness. Chi and Kakarot did not speak and avoided each other at all costs. There were a couple of times that Chi would catch Kakarot’s eye while he was training or when she was moving about the ship but that was the extent of their interactions. Chi refused to acknowledge Kakarot and while some days he wanted her to talk to him, other times Kakarot didn’t mind the quietness. Chi was only focused on the mission ahead, which was getting the sixth ball and her renewed drive was the only thing keeping her sane these days. 

As he checked the radar on the way to their next destination, Kakarot noticed that the planet after the Dragon Ball’s location had one of his favorite joints. The bar prided themselves on discretion so Kakarot made note to stop there after they collected the ball.

When they landed, it was a quick pick up of the Dragon Ball compared to the last few places. Kakarot was able to fly down to a small ravine in a canyon and easily find the ball in a tree. After hopping back on the ship, Kakarot took control of the wheel and started their course to his favorite space bar.

“Where the hell are you going? The last Dragon Ball is the other way.” Chi said agitated as she stepped into the control room.

“I’m getting a drink.”

“Like hell you are! We have a timeline.”

“Sit down and shut up, Chi.” Kakarot snapped, tired of her whining. Truthfully, he needed this drink now more than ever and he had a sneaking suspicion that Chi needed a break as well. Maybe with a few drinks in her, she’ll actually talk to him again. 

“Hmph.” Chi responded before slumping in the chair next to him. 

The space bar was on a small moon off of a barren planet, making it the perfect rest stop. However, the actual location of the bar was treacherous and it allowed criminals and others on the run to feel safe since space cops did not want to venture up there. The bar sat high on a mountain’s edge, with the actual bar built in the side of the mountain. Kakarot had been here many times, both before and after he was on the run from King Vegeta. The patrons of the bar were seedy and volatile but everyone kept their business to themselves. Even the women weren’t half bad, Kakarot smirked as he remembered a few passionate nights with some of the ladies after a few of his raids. 

Parking the ship in his regular spot, Kakarot stood and walked to the back of the ship to exit, saying to Chi on his way out, “Come on, the Dragon Ball won’t be going anywhere while we take a break.”

“What makes you think I want to sit down and have a drink with you?” Chi sneered and Kakarot turned to her.

“Fine, but you’ll be missing a pretty decent glass of whiskey. They make it themselves.” He winked and stepped off the ship. 

As he neared the entrance, Chi called from behind, “Fine. One drink and then we are back on the road. I’ll drag you by your fucking hair if I have to.”

Kakarot stopped, “Deal.”

“You’re also buying. You owe me that much for almost killing me.” Chi replied as she opened the door and Kakarot couldn’t help but chuckle as he followed her inside.

The bar was packed and music played loudly but it was just like Kakarot remembered. Motioning over to a table across the room, Kakarot made his way to a booth, and Chi sat in front of him. Kakarot raised his hand and the bartender came over for their orders.

“Two glasses of the house whiskey.” 

The bartender nodded and left to fulfill their orders. Kakarot sat back in the semi comfortable booth, the black satin cushion worn. He took a moment to glance at Chi seated across from him. She was distracted by the bar so he was able to get a better look at her than he had been able to the last few days. Chi looked tired and she still had some bruising around her cheeks, one of the blows turning yellow on her cheekbone. Her hair was down, which Kakarot always thought that looked better on her, her raven hair showing off her natural wave. Not to mention, her black Saiyan armor was looking particularly good on her today. 

“What?” Chi asked annoyed and leaned back in her chair.

“Nothing, this just reminds me of that night at the bar.” Kakarot smirked and Chi rolled her eyes.

“I should have never came up to you.”

“Right.” Kakarot teased and the waiter came back to set down their drinks. Grabbing his short glass, Kakarot raised it towards Chi and said, “Well, bottoms up.”

Chi quickly chugged her drink and slammed it on the steel table. “There, I’m done. Let’s go.”

“I’m not. Just relax.” Kakarot replied and waved to their waiter for another round. Afterwards, Kakarot pulled out a pack of cigarettes and grabbed one, lighting the butt. He inhaled and exhaled the smoke, totally content. Smoked surrounded his vision and when it cleared, he saw Chi’s fiery glare.

“I’m not waiting here any longer, Kakarot. The less time I’m with you, the better.”

Kakarot stared at her and took a sip of his drink, the brown liquid burning his throat in the best way possible. He needed this release, and his body instantly relaxed, having felt tense for days. 

“I don’t think a round of drinks with me is going to kill ya, Chi. Take a load off. You’re going to burn out if you don’t take a break. Trust me.”

The waiter placed their second round on the table and Chi clenched her jaw over Kakarot’s calm demeanor. Frustrated, she grabbed the glass and took a large sip before setting the drink down. The alcohol filled her nostrils and she won’t admit to how much she missed a stiff drink. If the events at the No Name Club didn’t happen, she’d probably be happy to relax and let off some steam. But, Kakarot triggered something in her and the only thing keeping her together at the moment was the mission. He didn’t nor couldn't understand her anxiousness to get back on the road.

“That’s funny. You asked if I could be trusted but hindsight, I should have asked you the same.”

Groaning in annoyance, Kakarot leaned forward on the table and spoke in a direct voice, “Look, I told you I was sorry and gave my reasons. I don’t know what more you want from me.”

Chi took another swig of her drink and set the glass down. “That’s the thing. I don’t want anything from you. The sooner you get out of my life the better.”

Kakarot couldn’t lie that her glare and anger towards him was entertaining. Smiling, he responded in a teasing tone, “I don’t really believe you. And besides, you can’t be mad at me forever. I’ve been told that I’m a hard guy to stay mad at.” 

Maybe it was the booze, the bar’s house whiskey was definitely stronger than anything she’s tasted before. Maybe it was his annoying, cocky smile but Chi could feel her anger towards Kakarot dissipate.  _ Damn him _ .

“Whatever, just get me another drink before I slam your face on the table again.”

“See, I knew you needed a break.” 

Three rounds soon became six and both Kakarot and Chi were feeling the effects of the alcohol. The tension and anger seemed to disappear with their sobriety and soon they began talking and laughing with each other like they were old friends. By the last round, Chi decided to show Kakarot one of her favorite party tricks, which was balancing a glass on her forehead. The glass fell within seconds to Chi’s dismay and Kakarot sat in his booth bursting out in laughter. 

“It’s not funny!” Chi whined and Kakarot answered in between laughs.

“What the hell was that?!” 

“I can get it right, let me try it again.” 

Wheezing, Kakarot finally caught his breath and shook his head. “No. You’re drunk and I think they might kill us if we break another glass.”

“Fine.” Chi pouted and stood wobbly.

“Geez, I guess I forget that you are an Earthling sometimes, Chi. Probably should have told you how strong those drinks are.” Kakarot jumped up and grabbed her arm, guiding her as they walked out. 

“I hate you, you know.” Chi said and Kakarot rolled his eyes.

“Yah, I’ve heard you say that a few times.”

“Well, it’s true.” 

Opening the door to the bar, Kakarot and Chi walked out and started towards their ship. He released Chi’s arm and she took a few steps before him and flipped her hair before turning away to head the ship. Before Kakarot could reply, a red blast came flying over his shoulder and shot Chi right in her side. 

Kakarot’s face widened and turned to see the source of the blast. Two aliens descended from behind him, landing in front of Chi. He didn’t even sense anyone nearby.

Chi shouted in pain and fell to her knees, holding her side gingerly. “Dammit…” She winced, trying to stand up but a searing pain shot up and down her right side. She bit her lip and fought through the pain, knowing she was not in a position to lay down and die. It instantly sobered Chi up, and she looked to see two figures standing in front of her, a man and a woman. 

“Chi!” Kakarot shouted and instantly came to her side, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

“I-I’m fine. Who are you assholes?” Chi hissed. The two strangers crossed their arms at the same time. 

The man had a yellow jacket and pants that brightened his pink skin. His partner had yellow skin and wore pink clothes, they appeared to be mirrored images of each other.

“We’ve been tracking you down for weeks now. You’ve got quite the price on your head from Frieza, which we intend to collect. We’re Two Sides. Appa and Ora.”

Even the way they spoke was in unison. 

“Of course.” Chi sighed and stood, shaking Kakarot’s hand off her shoulder, still holding her injured side. Kakarot stood next to her and immediately got into his fighting defense. 

“Who are they?” Kakarot questioned.

“Freaking bounty hunters. They’re pretty good I’ve heard, but I think we can take them.”

“Don’t delay the inevitable, Chi-Chi. Frieza said we get a handsome reward if we deliver you alive or dead.” 

“You’re an idiot if you think Frieza would pay you for killing me. He’s already reserved that honor I’m afraid.”

“No matter, you’re injured. We’ll have you captured in seconds.” Ora sneered.

“I think you’re forgetting about me.” Kakarot glared at them. He flexed his muscles and stood ready.

The two smirked at Kakarot’s power. “Is that all? Sad. A filthy Saiyan with a filthy power level. We don’t care if you live or die.” 

“Good to know. But you’ll be dead either way soon enough.” Kakarot said, his voice deep and cold as ice. “Chi, you keep her busy. This guy’s mine.”

In the next instant, he was in front of Ora, the stronger of the two. He went to punch Ora in the neck, but the bounty hunter caught Kakarot’s blow, smirking. 

“Not bad, Saiyan.” 

With his free hand, Ora charged a blast ready to fire at Kakarot. “You can’t dodge from this range!” Ora yelled and fired the green colored wave. 

Kakarot ducked backwards, narrowly missing the wave and kicked Ora in the stomach in midair. Ora and Kakarot both landed at the same time, and rushed towards each other, clashing each other in the face at the same time, sending both carrening backwards again. 

Chi waited for Abba to advance on her, still protecting her side. The woman charged and immediately hit Chi with a sharp, right hook. The blow knocked Chi to the ground, landing right on her bad side. She grimaced upon impact, and she was slow to get up. _ “She’s tough, and I’m useless, I can barely move” _ Chi winced and took her fighting stance again and waited for her opponent’s next move. Sometimes defense was the best offense.

Meanwhile Kakarot was having a little trouble with Ora who turned out to be quite the experienced fighter. Much more than the last few opponents Kakarot has faced. He wasn’t quite tired yet, but going by Ora’s fighting style, Ora seemed to be the same. 

After recovering from their last blows, Ora and Kakarot rushed once again, clashing blow for blow, so fast that Chichi couldn’t even see them. Energy clashed against energy as shockwaves filled the skies from their fight. 

Kakarot’s opponent was a crafty one. He fought primarily with his legs, keeping his arms crossed in a position that read an unbreakable guard. Kakarot growled to himself, wracking his brain to find an opening. 

He flared his energy into a wave, blowing the mercenary back. Finding an opening, Kakarot rushed forward and delivered a hard punch to his gut. The man staggered back, seemingly stunned. Kakarot smirked, thinking he finally had the upper hand, when the bounty hunter drilled Kakarot’s face with an even more devastating blow that sent the Saiyan shooting towards the mountatin’s rocky surface. 

Luckily. Kakarot managed to regain control and flipped back onto his feet before he hit. The Saiyan wiped some blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smirking at the fighter in front of him. “You’re good. This is exciting.”

“All you Saiyans are the same. I’ve killed quite a few in my day, boy.” 

“Ooh, really now?” Kakarot grinned, his voice dripping with false enthusiasm and slipped into his fighting stance, ready for round two. “Well, I’ve killed a few people too. Happy to add you to the list.”

“I’d like to see you try, monkey.” He said as the two rushed towards each other again.

Chi however found herself struggling. She could feel the intensity of Goku’s battle going on behind her. This woman… she seemed like a brick wall. No matter what Chi did in her weakened state, she got back ten fold. Appa was a martial artist through and through, and her deadly skills put Chi at a permanent disadvantage. 

But, she kept fighting. That’s all she could do at the moment. 

She roared and blasted forward, once again fighting through the wound that seemed to get worse with every blow she took. Chirushed straight forward, and then faked to the right.

Appa gasped as she saw Chi jump into the air, and was met with a whirlwind roundhouse kick combo to the face. Each one more powerful than the last.

Chi smiled to herself, thinking she was finally getting somewhere when the girl grabbed her leg and squeezed hard. 

“You really think you stood a chance? How cute. You’ll die along with the ape over there.” She yanked Chi’s leg down, pulling her closer. The bounty hunter brought her fist back and delivered a crushing blow to Chi’s stomach.

Chi felt the air in her lungs leave her, as she was sent catapulting backwards. She hit the ground with a hard thud, rolling like a dead log. The radar fell out of her pocket and ended up just a bit further than Chi could reach. the yellow bounty hunter walked over and stepped on her hand, causing Chi to shout in pain. 

“This must be important if you’re trying so hard to get it, Chi-Chi.” Appa said, raising her palm up and shot a blast at the radar, sending pieces flying, rendering the device useless.

“No!” Chi screamed.

Kakarot was floating in the sky, deep in his battle when he heard Chi’s cry. Narrowly dodging another attack, he saw the problem. Chi was down. And the radar was destroyed.

“I’m done messing around!” Fury gripped Kakarot. He slowly moved his hands back and focused, summoning his energy for his new attack.

“KAAAAA MEEEEEE…. HAAAAA MEEEEEE…”

Ora stopped, frozen. “What the…”

“HAAAAAAAAAA!” Goku fired the attack, hitting Ora directly on. The bounty hunter’s screams were drowned out by the energy wave as his body was completely destroyed. It took more energy than he hoped, but the unexpected guests were more trouble than he had thought, especially with Chi injured and the radar now broken. Breathing heavily, Kakarot floated down, turning to Appa.

“You’ll pay for killing my brother!” She shrieked and charged at Kakarot. She swung madly and without reason. Kakarot easily dodged each blow, stopping her pitiful excuse for an attack with a right punch directly to her face. She dropped like a rock, blood dripping from her face. Kakarot looked down at her, raising a hand brimming with blue energy that was ready to finish her off when Appa startled cackling. 

“If I die, then it doesn’t matter if she lives or dies for Frieza. Ha!” Firing a powerful blast, with most of her energy, the blast was aimed right at Chi, who was barely standing on her own. The blast hit Chi dead on, sending her flying. Desperately, she skidded across the mountain top, the edge growing closer and she tried to grab anything on the ground to hold onto to stop herself from going over.

“Chi!” Kakarot screamed and fired the blue blast at Appa, not having time to waste. Moving as quickly as he could, pushing his speed to its limits, Kakarot raced for Chi. Reaching out for her hand, his fingers grazed hers but he just missed as she fell over the edge.

“Damn it!” Kakarot cursed and before grief or anger could consume him, he heard a small hiss and grunt below. Looking down, Chi was a few feet below, barely hanging on to a small ledge.

“Ah!” She yelled and looked down at the long drop below her. 

“Hang on!” Kakarot called and laid down on his stomach, pushing himself to the mountain’s edge and reaching his arm down to Chi. He scooted closer, which helped a little but he was still just short. 

“Chi, you’re going to have to let go and reach up to grab my hand.”

“Are you insane? I’m not doing that!” Chi snapped back.

“It’s the only way.”

“Can’t you fly? If I fall, you can just grab me.”

Kakaort considered that but seeing as he wasn’t fast enough to get to her before, he didn’t want to risk it.

“ I don’t know if I can get you in time. Come on!”

Chi looked down at the drop again and then back at Kakaort. It wasn’t just the blast to her side or the blows that made her come back to her senses but hanging off the edge of a mountain definitely sobered Chi up. She racked her brain on what to do and remembered a similar instance of when she put her trust in Kakarot and he almost killed her. Now, as she hung off the cliff, how can she trust him to catch her. How can she let herself be open for a possible betrayal again? 

“You need to take my hand. Please.” Kakarot pleaded and Chi was stunned to hear concern in his voice. It almost sounded like fear.  _ What is he afraid of, losing me? _ She questioned. Chi searched Kakarot’s eyes, noticing how serious and yet sincere he looked at the moment. He genuinely was worried. This shocked Chi and made her reconsider her stance. Even though days ago she swore she would never trust him again, there was something about him that made her realize that would be impossible. Especially looking at him right now with his brows furrowed and his face completely desperate, she felt that she could give in and trust him a little. Even her instincts were screaming at her to believe him now, and her gut was never wrong.

Her fingers were slipping so she needed to act fast, even though she was hesitant in her decision. Gasping, Chi took a deep breath and nodded to Kakarot, signaling she would be going with his plan. Stretching as far as she could, Chi took a leap of faith in herself and in Kakarot. She closed her eyes and held her breath, hoping her instincts steered her to safety. Time seemed to slow and until, a strong, firm calloused hand gripped hers and Chi’s eyes shot open.  _ He caught me. _

Grunting through his teeth, Kakarot used all his strength to lift Chi with his arm. Finally, he pulled her completely up and fell back with the momentum, Chi landing on his chest. They stayed on the edge for a moment, catching their breath and staring at each other in silence. His arms wrapped around her back, protecting her tightly against him out of reflex.

“Y-You caught me.” Chi breathed

“Are you okay?.” Kakaort stared at her, his heart racing. As he looked at Chi’s big, brown eyes, he was tempted to kiss her hard out of relief. He almost lost her and that feeling was very new to Kakarot and he did not enjoy experiencing that type of fear. He also was curious as to why he was feeling like this. Why did the thought of losing Chi bother him  _ so _ much.

With a wince, Chi rolled off of Kakarot and stood, her knees shaking with pain. Breathing heavily, she stood on her own and ran a hand through her hair. She spotted the radar a few paces in front of her and slowly limped over. Kakarot got up as well and watched Chi carefully. Bending in pain, Chi exhaled as she grabbed the radar and held the broken pieces gently in her hands.

“Damn it.” She muttered and Kakarot came over to her to inspect the damage.

“Now what?” He asked and Chi looked at him.

“You’re not going to like this.” Her voice was filled with trepidation.

“Spit it out, Chi.” Kakarot responded agitated at her deliberate suspense.

“We have to go to Planet Vegeta.”

“WHAT?” Kakarot yelled and then laughed without humor, “You’re kidding me, right?”

“It’s the only way to get this fixed. Bulma is the one who can fix it since she created it. We can fly under the radar and we will be in and out of there, no one will know you are even in the vicinity. Please, we have one more ball left, we are so close.”

Kakarot’s thoughts raced and he knew he could keep a low profile but this was just reckless. If King Vegeta caught a whiff of him on the planet, he’s not sure he’d be able to take on all of Vegeta’s army especially because most of them were people he considered friends and comrades. Unfortunately, he knew that Chi was right. They were almost done.

“Fine. We find Bulma and we will be out of there as soon as possible. And don’t get any ideas.” Kakarot warned Chi but as she turned to him, he noticed her color was more pale than usual and she was sweating.

“Hey, let’s get on the ship. You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine, I just need to rest for a bit. Between the booze and getting my ass handed to me, I could use a nap.”

* * *

They made their way back to the ship and begrudgingly, Kakaort charted the course to his home planet, the ship’s system saying that it would take about six hours to get there. While Chi rested, Kakarot sat in the driver seat, arms crossed and he was deep in thought. He thought he’d never come home but now he’s speeding back to Planet Vegeta. Hours pass and the ship is quiet with just the hum of the engine in the background. They will be approaching within the hour and Kakarot’s body was filled with tension. 

“I’m sorry.” Chi’s voice from behind alerted him that she was finally up. Curious, he stood and walked over to the bunk beds, with Chi resting on the bottom one. When he approached, he cursed at himself for not checking on her sooner because she looked worse than she was before. Chi was completely white and sweaty, her breathing shallow and weak. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She slurred deliriously and Kakarot leaned forward to place his hands on her shoulders.

“Chi, Chi snap out of it.” 

She moaned in pain and clutched her side and Kakarot’s instincts told him that he should probably check her injury. Gripping her armor’s fabric, he forcefully ripped Chi’s black armor to expose her side. When he saw the damage, he was taken aback.

“Chi, why didn’t you tell me, you’ve been bleeding for hours!” Kakarot shouted and Chi barely reacted, her body weak and her eyes shut. Kakarot looked back down at the wound. It was a deep cut, with blood seeping out of it and the burnt, yellow skin singed around the wound. It was bad, and she needed medical attention quickly. Noticing a wet feeling on his hands, Kakarot looked down to see Chi’s blood covering his palms. The armor concealed the severity of the wound, and Kakarot could see a stain on the bed where she laid for the last few hours. Thinking fast, Kakarot went to the kitchen cabinets and grabbed various medical supplies. Carefully, he treated her wound and Chi whimpered in pain.

“I know it hurts, but it will stop the bleeding until I can get you some actual help.” Kakaort stated emotionlessly, his years of treating his men’s wounds in battle immediately overtaking his pysche, which he was grateful for. He thought back to his reaction when Chi almost fell off the cliff, and if he showed that emotion again, he knew he’d be a mess, and he chastised himself for even allowing himself to feel something for her. He shouldn’t but he couldn’t lie to himself any longer. Chi got under his skin and even as they were heading to the one place Kakarot definitely should not go to, all Kakaort could think about was saving Chi’s life. An alarm that they were entering Planet Vegeta’s atmosphere made Kakarot sigh in relief.

“Papa..I’m sorry. I’m sorry he killed you, it’s my fault.” Chi mumbled and her head lulled to the side. This made Kakarot freeze for many reasons but the most pressing issue was Chi losing consciousness.

“Chi? Chi, you got to stay awake.” Kakarot tapped her cheek but she did not respond. “Shit!” Reacting out of anger, he punched the wall next to the bunk and seethed.

The ship began to shake as they entered the planet and Kakarot stormed up to the front to steer and land the ship. Seeing his home again was a strange feeling, especially given all that happened the last time he was here. But, it was still a place that he felt much pride towards and oddly enough, nostalgia filled his mind and he briefly smiled. But then he remembered Chi and focused, shaking off those memories and he flew the ship to the one place he knew would be able to help her.

* * *

A sudden, loud pounding knock at the door rang through the small cottage. No residents moved to answer so the knock started again, this time more rapid and louder against the door.

“I swear, whoever is out there is going to get their ass kicked if they keep knocking on MY door like that.” A low, deep voice called out from a distant room but didn’t move to the door. The knock started up again more urgently and the man shouted.

“Alright, someone’s dead.” The man charged to the front door, his chest and face burning in anger. Opening the door with force, the man’s anger vanished when he saw who was at his door.

“K-Kakarot?” Looking at the person in front of him who was scuffed up with some cuts and bruises all over his body, the cottage’s resident was in shock. Kakarot stood before him and carried a beautiful but seriously wounded woman who was unconscious and limp in his arms. The man looked up at Kakarot, whose face was etched with concern and determination. Kakarot shifted Chi in his arms and responded to the man in front of him.

“Hi Dad.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Silence and tension sat between the two Saiyans as they looked at each other. Bardock was staring at his son, the spitting image of him while Kakarot stared back tensely. This was a reunion that Bardock never thought they’d have anytime soon, and he was flooded with conflicting emotions. 

“Kakarot, what is going on?” Bardock questioned his youngest son while Kakarot barged into the small home carrying the mysterious woman in his arms and pushing past his father. Kakarot moved quickly through the house to the back room, hurrying to the healing tank. Every Saiyan had versions of a tank in their homes, but it was especially needed in this household given how hard Bardock trained. When they got into the small room, Kakarot laid Chi on the table by the silver tank, and turned to finally answered his father, who was growing impatient.

“I’ll explain later but she needs to get in the healing tank now.” Kakarot’s tone was mixed with worry and agitation, and Bardock could sense that his son was not focused enough to actually be of help, which was odd. He was usually calm under pressure.

“Gine!” Bardock called outside of the healing room.

A soothing, quiet voice answered, “Bardock, what is-.” Gine walked into the room and stopped in her tracks. Kakarot turned to his mother and immediately his expression softened.

“Mom.” 

Gine’s heart leapt. She had dreamt that her Kakarot would come home one day but she didn’t think it would be this soon. Scanning her son, Gine noticed how tired and stressed he looked. She then saw the seriously injured woman on the table and gasped.

“Kakarot, what happened?”

Kakarot hesitated but then turned away from his mother to type at the tank controls and responded flatly, “I promise I’ll tell you both later.” He went to type a formula into the keyboard but after a few clicks, he messed up the code and cursed under his breath. Kakarot tried again but had the same result and started over. 

“Fuck!” Kakarot slammed his fist on the control panel and started the formula again. 

Gine shot a quick glance at Bardock. They both exchanged a look that conveyed one of them needed to step in because Kakarot was clearly not in the headspace to help this stranger out. Someone had to take control if she was going to live.  _ She must mean something to him, _ Gine thought. Noticing the woman on the table, Gine observed her features and then her serious injury. The stranger’s clothes had been ripped, exposing her pale bare side with a bandage soaked in blood. Gine knew there was not a moment to spare. Stepping forward, Gine narrowed her eyes at her son and ordered.

“Kakarot, step away.” She moved towards her child.

“I’ve got it.” Kakarot replied agitated and Gine did not back down. She knew her son well enough to know when he needed someone to tell him to calm down.

“Stop, I can take it from here. You can trust her with me.” Gine insisted.

“No, I can-.” Kakarot hesitated but Bardock cut him off with a stern tone.

“Use your head, son. The longer she’s out here, the less chance she has at surviving. Let your mother handle it.” Bardock hoped he wouldn’t have to take things to another level but if that was the only way to make Kakarot see reason then he’d do it. 

Kakarot hesitated while Gine took action, forcefully removing his hands off the keyboard. She knew that he was much stronger than her and if he needed to, he could fight against her grip but her son always listened, even now as a grown man. He did not challenge her and instead backed away.

Frustrated, Kakarot looked at his mother and turned to exit, walking to the main room of the small cottage. Running a hand through his hair, Kakaort took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Bardock followed and cleared his throat, standing with his arms crossed and a firm expression on his face. Kakarot looked at his father and Bardock gave him a once over. His son was dressed in all black Saiyan battle armor, with some spots of his armor cut. Kakarot looked like he recently had been in a major fight, with cuts and bruises scattered throughout his body. His hands and forearms were also covered in blood, presumably from his companion.

“You look like shit, son.”

“I feel like it.” Kakarot answered without humor and turned to see his mother enter the room, rubbing off some blood from her hands as she spoke.

“Alright, she’s going to be in the tank for a bit. I think that should get her back to full strength, which is a miracle. She got lucky.” Kakarot breathed out a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders falling. 

Kakarot looked at his mother in appreciation. Gine wore her usual dark green Saiyan pants with a gold armor plate over her chest. Her hair was as unruly as ever but somehow she made it look controlled. She looked at her son with an expression mixed with love and worry.

“Now, what the hell is going on.” Bardock broke the quiet in the room and Kakarot sighed before sitting down on his parent’s couch to explain everything. Earth, the Dragon Balls, the cage fight, Chi, and their mission to Frieza. When he finally finished, he looked up at his parents. His mother’s lips were pursed in worry while his father looked deep in thought, his brows furrowed in an expression that Kakaort knew all too well. Finally, Kakarot spoke up.

“So that’s what I’ve been up to since I left.” 

“Kakarot, how did you get mixed up in all of this? You know that Vegeta is looking for you right? He’s been out for blood since you left. Coming home was so stupid!” Gine scolded her son and looked at her boy in complete worry. She knew he was capable of fending for himself and she trusted his judgement but this was all too much.

“I don’t know, Mom. It all just kind of happened.” Kakarot answered. He stretched his arms out behind him, trying to work out a knot from all the recent stress and winced, the adrenaline from the fight and getting Chi to safety finally subsiding and presenting his injuries. He didn’t seem to have a lot, but the blows to his body were more prevalent now. Gine looked at her son as he winced and went to speak but Bardock interrupted her before she got the chance.

“So, let me get this straight. You landed on Earth, stayed there for a few weeks and in that time you didn’t kill anyone? A planet like that could drive a pretty valuable profit. Why not wipe them all out?”

Groaning, Kakaort rolled his eyes. Of course that’s the first thing his father asked.  _ Typical _ .

“I had to keep a low profile from Vegeta. If I was selling a planet for profit, he would have immediately found me. Trust me, I would have gladly slaughtered them all. Earthlings are an annoying species.” Part of that was true. When Kakaort initially crashed landed on Earth due to a meteor shower hitting his ship, catapulting him towards Earth, there was nothing more that he wanted to do then destroy them all. As time went on and Yamcha, Krillin, and Master Roshi were kind and hospitable to him, he realized that they kind of grew on him. Then Chi interfered so he couldn’t really say if he would have killed all the Earthlings eventually or not. 

“Right.” Growling, Bardock clenched his fist and continued, “Damn it, this shouldn’t be happening. You shouldn’t be living like this!”

His father’s comment struck a nerve, and now Kakarot’s patience was growing thin. His father and him have always had a complicated relationship. After Kakarot got back from his first planet raid as a baby, he spent years on Planet Vegeta training, searching for a way to rise above his rating as a low class warrior. He wanted to be the best. It was something that he desperately craved, which was a trait he inherited from his father. Growing up, Bardock was always off on missions, training to surpass his own limits, or even healing from his battles. Kakarot rarely saw his father when he was younger, and when he did, Bardock mostly told him that he had to work harder and push himself. Bardock expected his son to excel in everything, even if he was judged to be weak. Weakness or giving up was something that Bardock did not tolerate. He drilled that sentiment into Kakarot, and it fueled Kakarot to be better. Kakarot was always chasing after his father and he never felt that he measured up to Bardock.

His father’s demands helped Kakarot push past himself and as he grew, he soon found himself rising in the ranks to eventually become one of the youngest elite commanders in Saiyan history, all at the age of 19. Just as his son’s life as a Saiyan warrior was advancing, Bardock’s time was waning, and he eventually settled down with his wife. Bardock took on a new role of training young warriors which he enjoyed since he was still able to train and be involved in fighting. Bardock was home more and he was able to improve his relationship with his son. Kakarot and Bardock were able to talk about their various successes in battle and trained, encouraging each other. They grew as close as two Saiyans could but the distance was always still there since that’s how Saiyans were. 

Kakarot knew what his father was insinuating and he didn’t like it. Looking up at a pair of dark eyes that matched his own, Kakarot stood up and responded, glaring at his father, “Look, I know that none of this is what you wanted for me, Father. I’m sorry I’m not the commander I used to be. But you don’t think I know that? I’d do anything to go back, but I can’t! So stop shoving it in my face, alright!” 

Anger rising, Kakarot turned and stormed off, slamming the front door. Bardock made a move to follow him, but his wife stopped his advance, putting her arm out in front of him.

“Gine-.” 

“Let him be, Bardock. He’s been through a lot and it seems like the last few days have been rough. He’ll cool down and then you can talk to him.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. I’m not blaming him for what happened.”

Gine nodded and leaned up, running a soft hand through her husband’s bangs, moving a loose strand off his forehead. “Of course I know. But you forget, he takes after you.”

Bardock gave his wife a face and she continued, “Kakarot is exactly like you when you were his age. Hot headed, restless, and always searching for the next adventure. I think he’s conflicted just like how you were.”

“What? Come on, I knew exactly what I wanted.” Bardock smirked and pulled his wife close against his chest. 

“Well, not initially. It took you some time to figure out what it meant to be a warrior, a husband, a father, and who you are outside of all that. That’s what Kakarot’s going through. Of course not as a husband or father, but I have a sinking suspicion that he’s trying to figure out his feelings when it comes to his friend in the next room. My point is, it was a while before you realized what made you happy, and that’s what Kakarot is struggling with right now. Our son is torn and unlike you who had your men and your status as a warrior fighting for Planet Vegeta, all of that was taken from Kakarot. He’s adrift and he has no clue how to navigate all of this. So that’s all I’m saying, Bardock. He’s your son through and through and I think when the time comes, you need to help guide him. He needs you but he’ll never say it.”

Bardock gazed down at his wife’s dark brown eyes and contemplated what she had just said. Even after all these years, she was still his anchor. They have been through a lot together, and she was by his side as he figured out how to be a husband and a father while he was a Saiyan warrior. When they first met, it was just lust but soon she completely took him by surprise and then she was his world. He still had his duties of being a warrior and they were apart for so long at times, but knowing that she was home waiting for him always motivated him to fight harder and get home to her. Then came Raditz, a responsibility that Bardock will admit he was not ready for. Fatherhood scared the hell out of him, so instead of working with Gine and being a good partner to her, he ran and they separated for a few years, something that Bardock is not proud of. He still longed for her and Bardock threw himself into training and raids, breaking his body over and over so he wouldn’t have to think about Gine. After time apart, they reunited and their youngest was born shortly after. This time, Bardock was older and ready but his battles still took him across the galaxy. Instead of running like he did before, he stayed and fought hard to come back to his family. 

“When did you get so wise.” He smiled and bent down to lightly kiss Gine’s lips. They stayed in that embrace for a moment before he pulled away, “I know what you mean.”

Gine smiled back and placed a hand on his chest, “Good. I’ll start preparing dinner. I’m sure everyone is hungry. Let me grab the meat from outside.”

* * *

Kakarot paced outside his parent’s home, not even caring that someone could spot him and tell Vegeta. His chest was on fire from rage. Coming back home just brought up everything and he hated it. He did  _ not _ want to think or relive those memories. Grunting, he tried to calm down but nothing worked. Raising his palm up, he was ready to fire an energy blast at a rock nearby when he heard his mother shout behind him.

“Kakarot! What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get caught by Vegeta? If he knew you were here, you’d be captured and killed!” Gine stomped up to him and got into his face. She thought he stormed off to whatever ship he came on to cool down, but she did not think he’d be dumb enough to pace in her front yard where everyone could see him.

“I don’t care.” Kakarot responded and his mother quickly jumped up and grabbed his ear, similarly to how she used to when he was a boy.

“Well you might not care but I do. Get inside, now!” She angrily whispered so she wouldn’t attract the neighbors and dragged her grown son inside, who was yelping the whole way. When they were finally inside, Gine released Kakarot’s ear and he hissed in pain, rubbing his earlobe. Gine sniffed and frowned at her son. 

“Go upstairs and shower, you smell awful.”

“What about-.” 

“She’s got time still. Take a shower and maybe even a nap. Like your father said, you look like shit.” She smiled lovingly and Kakarot relented, turning to climb up the stairs to the shower.

* * *

Inside the chamber, Chi’s body recharged with the healing waters of the tank. As her body rested, her mind did not.

_ Birds were chirping across the valley on a quiet, spring day. It’s a vision Chi has seen so many times in her nightmares but unlike all those nights before, this is real. She lived this, this isn’t a dream. It’s a terrible memory, something that she wishes she could forget. _

_ Chi-Chi, as she was called then, was playing in the gardens outside her father’s castle, enjoying the sunny day in pure bliss with her friend, Bulma. The young girls excitedly waited for the guests who were coming from space to tour Chi-Chi father’s kingdom. Her father, the Ox King, was anxiously waiting for their guests along with his friends, Gohan and Dr. Briefs. Later did Chi and Bulma find out that they were contacted by the Earth’s guardian on this potential threat and their fathers worked to protect the Earth from the evil approaching, an action that would have fatal consequences.  _

_ The men looked upon the girls and suddenly, a large circular spaceship descended from the sky. _

_ “Girls! Inside now.” The Ox King called and Bulma and Chi-Chi giggled and ran towards the castle, innocent of the danger landing. Their dresses skimmed the grass along the garden as they sprinted towards the castle. Before they got there, they heard tense voices from the front of the building. Sneaking to the front, the girls hid behind a bush to see the commotion. _

_ “I’m not going to ask again. Where are they?” An intimidating purple and white creature stood before her father. His tail curled behind him and slammed on the grass. Chi-Chi’s father towered over the alien and responded. _

_ “We don’t have any Dragon Balls here. They haven’t been seen in many years. Last I heard, they were scattered across the galaxy.” _

_ “Lies will not get you out of this. I know your guardian wished the dragon to spread the balls across the universe. The balls were in your possession before Kami told you about my quest. The question is how were you able to summon the dragon so quickly. I’m sure the doctor has an answer.” The alien snarled at Bulma’s father and Bulma whimpered next to Chi-Chi.  _

_ Quickly, the alien moved and grabbed Dr. Briefs by the throat, hoisting him up in the air. “It’s because of your meddling that I can’t get my wish!” _

_ Chi-Chi clenched her fists behind the bush. She couldn’t let this creep hurt her best friend's dad. Besides, he didn’t look too scary. She had been training a lot with her father and Gohan, she could take him. Little did she know how futile her attempt was. _

_ “Follow my lead. Do you have your weapon?” Chi-Chi asked and Bulma nodded, pulling out a small circular device, an invention of her own creation.  _

_ “Let’s go.” Bulma stated and Chi-Chi agreed. Charging towards the alien, Chi-Chi yelled. _

_ “Get away from him!”  _

_ Jumping in the air, Chi-Chi flew and took the alien by surprise, kicking him right in the face with her foot. He fell to the ground and Chi-Chi landed and rolled, dropping into the fighting stance her father taught her. _

_ “Now, Bulma!” Chi-Chi called and Bulma rushed behind her, throwing the small circular object on the ground. A loud, high pitch noise rang out, causing everyone to hold their ears as Chi-Chi moved towards the alien, striking her fist out, but it was quickly caught by his hand. Standing up, the alien cackled. _

_ “Well, that was certainly entertaining. Foolish on your part, but I applaud the effort.” With malice, the visitor smiled and swung Chi-Chi across the air, throwing her hard to the grass to the right of them with a hard thud. Chi-Chi laid on the ground, unmoving. _

_ “Chi-Chi!” Her father screamed and moved towards her but an energy blast sent through his arm stopped his advance to his daughter. _

_ “I’m not done with you yet, Ox King. Now to finish my conversation with Dr. Briefs.” _

_ Walking towards the doctor, who was holding Bulma, the guest stepped over Bulma’s device and acknowledged the technology before crushing it under his foot. _

_ “Did your father create that for you, girl?” _

_ “No! I did!” Bulma yelled. _

_ “Hmm. Fascinating. Even if I can’t get what I want here...I might have found something else that could be useful. Now for your father, I have a very special gift.” Firing a fatal ray through Dr. Brief’s chest, the doctor’s eyes grew wide and fell to the ground, dead. _

_ “NOO!” Bulma cried and hovered over her father’s dead body before bowing her head to sob into his chest. _

_ “Ox King. I’m impressed with your daughter’s skills and her friend’s intelligence. Since you couldn’t give me what I wanted, I’ll be taking your daughter and her friend to join my forces. Their talents could be of use to me and I’m sure with the right training, they’ll be able to find the Dragon Balls for me.” _

_ “Y-you can’t!” The Ox King cried out in pain and frustration, holding his arm. Chi-Chi stirred in the grass and slowly moved to see her father on the ground, holding his left bloody arm. _

_ “Papa!” Chi-Chi shouted to her father. The Ox King turned towards her voice and as he turned, another purple ray shot from the alien’s finger tip, straight through the Ox King’s chest. _

_ “PAPA!” Chi-Chi wailed and raced to her father. _

_ “I might have let him live if you hadn’t tried to attack me. I was hoping to resolve this with a bit more civility but alas my temper has a mind of its own. Consider your father’s death on your hands, girl.” The aliens chuckled as Chi-Chi ran past him. _

_ Chi-Chi fell on her knees next to her father and sobbed, “Papa, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” _

_ “Chi-.” Ox King reached out a blood hand to rest on Chi-Chi’s cheek and tried to speak but he breathed his last. _

_ Chi-Chi’s felt her throat tightening and clutched her father’s shirt as his hand dropped from her face. His friend, Gohan knelt across Chi-Chi, grieving his dear friend. _

_ “Chi-Chi, Bulma listen to me.” Gohan whispered, barely audible. Both girls briefly looked up from their father’s bodies and waited for Gohan to continue. _

_ “I’ll distract them, but you need to run. Run to the forest.” _

_ “But-.” Bulma started but Gohan shook his head, making sure they knew he made his decision. _

_ Both girls waited for Gohan to make his move. Standing on his feet, Gohan gathered his energy and shouted, “Run!” _

_ Firing the blast to distract, Gohan shot it at the alien and his forces as both girls took off, desperately running to the forest. Chi-Chi’s vision was blurry from crying but she continued on. A booming noise followed by eerie silence surrounded the escaping young girls but they did not dare turn back.  _

_ In a flash, both girls were hit hard in the head and knocked out. _

_ Sometime later, they both woke up in a sterile white room. Chi-Chi’s head pounded terribly against her skin, partly from the harsh blows she received and the other from sobbing over her father. His death suddenly flooded her memory and tears started to well again in her eyes.  _

_ “Good, you’re awake. Now, I need both of your talents for my force. From here on out, you are in my service. And the minute you disappoint or fail me...well then you will meet a face worse than your fathers.” _

_ Chi-Chi and Bulma looked up to the figure standing in front of them. He turned to them with an evil grin. _

_ “My name is Frieza. Now let’s begin.” _

* * *

A half hour later, Kakarot stepped out of the shower, completely relaxed and refreshed. The hot water felt great on his cuts and sore muscles and the time alone allowed Kakarot to calm down and think. Kakarot walked into the adjoining room to the bathroom, a guest room that Kakarot often used to crash in after raids when he wanted some of his mother’s cooking. On the bed, his mother laid out some of his father’s old armor and Kakarot changed into the elastic navy blue pants. A knock on the door alerted Kakarot and he answered.

“Yah?”

Gine walked into the room to see Kakarot rubbing a towel through his wet hair. She smiled at how similar he looked to his father but then his naked back caught her eye. The deep, dark red scar displayed on his back as well as the absence of his tail, stopped Gine in her tracks. Immediately, visions of her son writhing and screaming in pain flooded her mind as she remembered that terrible night. She thought she was going to lose him. Trying to shake the memories out of her head, Gine said.

“I brought some of your father’s old armor. Figured a change of clothes could help.” His mother called from behind him and he didn’t turn while nodding and fitting his head through the shirt. Silence passed and when his mother didn’t speak, Kakarot frowned and turned. His mother was standing behind him with tears in her eyes.

“Mom?”

Gine broke down, tears streaming down her face as her son rushed to her side.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

Gine sobbed and hugged her son, mumbling into his chest, “That scar. Kakarot, I thought I lost you that night.”

Kakarot held his mother tight against his chest and tried to calm her down. His mother was always his rock, his constant when he was younger. While his father was off on raids, his mother managed everything here. Most of the time, it was just Gine and Kakarot since Raditz was usually on a mission too, and if he was home, he was always out. Gine encouraged him to be better but to also not be so hard on himself. They were always close, which was unusual for most Saiyan parents. 

“Mom, I’m okay. I promise.” Kakarot whispered and Gine nodded. 

Pulling away, Gine looked at her son and pushed away a bang from his face like she always did with his father. It was uncanny how alike they were and yet as she just told Bardock, they definitely were different from each other in many ways. Finally, she sniffed and wiped a tear from her eyes. Deciding to switch topics, Gine asked, “So who is your friend?”

Kakarot groaned and rolled his eyes, “Mom, I already told you.”

“You told me what you’re searching for and how she got injured but not why you’re so worried about her. Kakarot, you could barely get the healing tank to work earlier. Those were formulas you’ve known your whole life and you couldn’t figure them out.” Gine wanted to giggle at seeing her son’s eyes widen with that realization. Kakarot recovered and his eyes quickly narrowed.

“It’s nothing, I was just high on adrenaline.”

“You know I can tell when you’re lying.” Gine teased and Kakarot scoffed.

“Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. I’m not lying.” He was but he wasn’t going to say anything.

“No, you’re twenty four years old but I can still tell when you’re lying or something is bothering you. It’s perfectly normal to admit you have feelings for her.” Gine smirked and Kakarot’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and agitation. 

“What? No, I don’t like Chi. She’s impossible, demanding, reckless, and infuriating.” Kakarot snapped and his mother put up her hands in a truce.

“I’m just saying, the lines of love and hate sometimes can blur. And she sounds like she keeps you on your toes. Which you need.”

“Can you just stop!” Kakaort pleaded and Gine nodded. Speaking of their guest, Gine remembered the healing tank and said, “She should be finishing up soon. Might want to help her out when she’s done. Dinner should be ready in a bit.”

The thought of food made Kakarot’s stomach grumble and he smiled at the thought of a big home cooked meal from his mother.

“That sounds great. I’ll go check on Chi.” Kakarot answered and went downstairs. His father was nowhere to be found, which Kakarot did not mind. Entering the small room to the back, an alarm was buzzing signaling that Chi’s time in the chamber is complete. 

Walking to the controls, Kakarot looked at Chi through the glass with interest and worry. She looked like she was in pain, her brows were furrowed and tense. He hoped the tank worked, but there was only one way to know. Hovering his finger above a button, Kakarot paused. His mother was right but he couldn’t admit that he has feelings for Chi. Those emotions were too difficult to sort out now and he was too inexperienced and confused to try. Breaking his gaze, Kakarot looked down and pressed the button to begin the tank draining process. The water began to dissipate around Chi and Kakarot looked up at her again. Slowly, her big brown eyes fluttered open and they looked around confused for a minute before settling on Kakarot’s eyes. Once all the water was gone, Kakarot opened the door and Chi shivered against the rush of cold air against her wet skin. Taking the oxygen mask off her face, Chi breathed on her own.

Chi expected to feel weak and tired but instead, she felt rejuvenated and strong, more so than she’s felt in weeks. Testing herself, Chi clenched her fist and relaxed, noticing how her muscles were not sore anymore. She felt no pain.

She exhaled and looked around the mundane room. Confused, she looked to Kakarot and asked, “Where are we?”

“Planet Vegeta. My parent’s house to be exact.”

“Ah so you still lived with your parents. Explains a lot.” Chi teased Kakarot who groaned and replied.

“Seriously? I saved your life twice and that’s the thanks I get? Should have just let you fall off that cliff.”

Chi smiled, happy that she can still rile him up and that she’s feeling well enough to mess with him. It is her favorite pastime these days.

“Well, I’m surprised you got me here. I thought I was a goner.” And she was surprised, taken back actually if she were to be honest. He could have let her die and carry on with his life. Kakarot didn’t need to save her from the cliff or take her to his home to heal her. But he did, and Chi was not used to this level of kindness from anyone.  _ What changed?  _ she wondered.

“It was a close call that’s for sure.” Kakarot answered.

Gently, she went to her side, expecting a giant wound or even a gapping scar to be there but all there was nothing.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” She was astounded by the technology and Kakarot nodded. 

“It’s pretty helpful for us especially after battles. I’ve had a couple close calls in my day.” Kakarot responded with a far off voice and Chi faced him but he suddenly looked away from her and scratched the back of his neck in anxious discomfort.

“I’ll see if my mom has some armor she can give you. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

Chi nodded and scanned the small, simply decorated house. It was quaint with no fancy decorations or furniture around. Seemed like all they had were just the necessary basics, which Chi could appreciate. 

“So, this is a Saiyan home.” Chi questioned and Kakarot followed Chi’s eyes.

“Yeah, nothing has really changed. We usually don’t stay in our homes that much so all Saiyan houses are like this. Except of course, Vegeta’s.”

Chi stopped at what Kakarot just said. He rarely mentioned the king and immediately, Chi can tell that something was off with Kakarot. He seemed more tense but also unfocused, like his mind was preoccupied. 

“Right. Well a change of clothes would be great.” Chi changed topics and glanced down at her clothes, which were soaking wet.

“I’ve already laid some out for you upstairs.” A quiet, feminine voice announced from behind Kakaort. He stepped away to reveal a woman with shaggy, black hair and Chi immediately noted the resemblance to Kakarot.

“Oh thanks.” Chi answered and the women smiled.

“I’m Gine, Kakarot’s mother. And you are?”

“Chi.”

An awkward pause created uneasiness in the air before Chi spoke up. “So, I’ll uh go change. Thanks again.” Chi quickly exited the room and made her way upstairs, figuring she could find the clothes on her own since it was a small house. Maybe if she’s lucky she can find a shower too.

“She seems...nice.” Gine smirked and Kakarot gave his mother a warning look before leaving the room as well.

* * *

Dinner between the three Saiyans and the Earthling was quiet and intense, with only the sound of Bardock and Kakarot shoving down their food loudly to fill the room. Chi never saw anyone eat as much or as fast as Kakarot and his father. It’s been a while since she had a home cooked meal and between Kakarot and his father’s eating styles and Gine staring her down, Chi was looking forward to the end of dinner. 

As the sunset and dinner was finished, Gine cleared the dishes and told Chi that she can take the spare room for the night while Kakarot can sleep at Raditz’s, which was behind their house and across the lawn, since he wasn’t home. Kakarot didn’t mind the arrangements, he desperately needed some time to himself. 

While Gine and a reluctant Chi helped clear dishes, Kakarot decided to slip away and head to the roof, the one place he liked to go when he needed to think or just get a break from it all. Sitting on top of the house, Kakarot looked up at the night taking in the stars that scattered across the sky and relishing the peace. His head was filled with so many thoughts and bad memories that sitting alone in the crisp night air was just what he needed.

“I knew I’d find you up here.” A deep voice called behind him and Kakarot sighed.

Coming out of the shadows, Bardock sat next to his son and exhaled, “Nice night, huh?”

“Sure.” Kakarot answered and clenched his jaw and Bardock sat back on his hands and looked up at the stars.

“You know, you’ve been coming up here since you were six. Every time something was on your mind, you’d leave and sit up here for hours. There were sometimes I had come up here and to drag you down myself.”

Kakarot briefly smiled at that memory. His father was pissed that day but Kakarot refused to leave, standing his ground as an eleven year old boy. Training the next day with his father was rough, with Bardock throwing a little bit more power into his punches as a punishment.

“What I’m saying is I know when something is up, Kakarot. So spit it out.” Bardock looked at his son and Kakarot did not meet his gaze, glancing at the roof instead before saying.

“I didn’t think coming back here would be this...hard.”

Bardock could tell that his son was struggling. The last time he was home was filled with a lot of unpleasant memories and he was sure that Kakarot was having a hard time confronting those thoughts.

Bardock nodded, “Do you still have nightmares and tail pain?”

“Yeah. Sometimes I wake up and it feels like it’s still there. Or I wake up from the pain of it being cut off. But surprisingly, I haven’t had any dreams or pain in a while.”

“Well, it seems like you have been pretty busy recently which probably helps.” Bardock sighed and said in a more serious tone, “I never expected this path for you, son. But I want you to know that I don’t blame you for what happened, you were trying to get out of a rough situation.”

“I know you don’t, I was just...I don’t know. I haven’t had to think about this all for a while and it's been nice to be distracted. This is not what I wanted either but for the first time since leaving here, I finally feel like I have a purpose. Something that I can strive for, and I haven’t felt like that in a while, basically since that mission. It’s definitely been a crazy couple of weeks with Chi, but I know that whatever is ahead, it's my destiny. I can feel it.” Kakarot said with determination and looked towards the night, gazing at his home planet in the dark. 

Bardock glanced at his son and noticed the newfound zeal in Kakarot, something he thought his son would never have after the incident. He was so broken and angry and Bardock and Gine were afraid that their son would never recover.

“Seems like you’ve met your match with that one.” Bardock replied and Kakarot looked at his father in confusion.

“What? No, it’s not like that, Father.”

“I’m not an idiot, Kakarot. I’ve been there myself and I can tell you firsthand that denying it will only make things worse.”

Kakarot pondered this. All his life he’d been coached as a soldier to not show weakness and that emotional attachments were a weakness. Saiyans had to be ruthless and show no empathy or feelings for others. However, his father seemed to be an exception to that.

“But, that’s not what Saiyans are supposed to do. How did you do it?” Kakaort asked, genuinely curious.

Bardock sighed, “It wasn’t easy and I made a lot of mistakes along the way. At the end of the day, I couldn’t deny my feelings for your mom. It went against every instinct I had to settle down and be the man she needed me to be. I still struggle with it. There are days that I just want to take off in a ship and join another raid. I don’t think that lust for battle ever goes away.” Bardock then turned and stared at his son dead in the eye, “I know that as Saiyan warriors we are taught that having a family and caring for someone is weak. That fighting and training are our only sources to happiness and if we don’t do those things then we are somehow less than. Kakarot, you can still be just as proud of a Saiyan and care for someone, maybe even one day love them. It might be harder to do but it doesn’t make you less of Saiyan or a man.”

Kakarot considered his father’s words and asked in a quiet tone, “What if I don’t know what makes me happy?”

Bardock chuckled, “I think you already do son. You’ll know when it happens.”

Kakarot nodded and Bardock spoke again, “I know that you got dealt a bad hand and I know I wasn’t sold on this new adventure you are on but it seems like you’re trying to pick up the pieces which is a lot more than some people would do. So I uh,” Bardock cleared his throat, “I’m uh I’m proud of you, son.” 

Kakarot gazed at his father in shock. He’d never said those words out loud before but through the years with all of his father’s long absences and harsh lessons, Kakarot somehow always felt his father cared for him and had pride in him, even if he never said it.

Bardock cleared his throat again and stood, clearly trying to shake off that uneasy feeling of being vulnerable.

“Let’s get some training in tomorrow. I want to see if you've gotten rusty at all.”

Kakarot smirked and stood next to his father, “You got it.”

The two Saiyans stood and clasped each other’s forearms as a new sense of understanding, care, and respect passed between them.

* * *

Once Chi was finished helping Gine clean up after dinner, the sun had set and her body was ready to call it a night. But she still had to talk to Kakarot. They hadn’t had much time to chat, and Chi felt like she needed to thank him. Deciding to bring some leftovers out to him since he’s always hungry, Chi walked across the lawn to the small two floor cottage behind Kakarot’s parent’s house. Standing on the balcony above her, Kakarot called out, “What are you doing?”

“Thought I’d bring you some leftovers. Can I come up?”

“Door’s open.” Kakarot responded and Chi walked through the front door and inside the cottage. Similar to his parent’s home, this place was barely decorated or filled with anything besides the essentials. Looking around, Chi surveyed the house and put the dishes on the counter before climbing the steel spiral staircase to the second floor. This floor was completely empty which was odd to Chi.

Making her way to the balcony, Chi saw Kakarot leaning on the railing and she walked up to stand next to him. Chi asked,”Why is your brother’s place so much nicer than your parent’s. No offense.”

Kakarot shrugged next to her and replied, “That’s just how Raditz is. He’s never home but he needed the best place in the village.”

“I see. Did you ever stay here when you were home?”

“Sometimes, I jumped in between here and my parent’s house but I was gone a lot. Not as much as Raditz but enough.”

Chi knew that Kakarot never talked about his past as a Saiyan warrior willingly but since they’ve been here he’s openly shared a few tidbits. He looked like he didn’t want to talk about his past any further and Chi was too tired to push. 

“Hey, I forgot to ask but how are you feeling?” Kakarot peered over at her and Chi answered nonchalantly.

“I feel great. That healing tank is amazing.”

“It is.” Kakarot paused for a minute before speaking up again in a more even voice, “Listen, when you were delirious on the ship, you said something about your dad.” 

Chi froze and turned away, cursing at herself internally. 

“Frieza killed your father. Is that why you’re going after him?” Kakarot put two and two shortly after but he needed confirmation. 

Chi exhaled and closed her eyes, knowing she can’t hide it any longer. Despite all of her efforts and the iron wall she put up around herself, Kakarot was slowly breaking those barriers and she was doing everything she could to stop him from shattering them all, but this was a battle she knew she was losing. Finally, she faced Kakarot and nodded.

“Yes. But that’s not the only reason I want him dead. I rather not discuss that right now.” 

Silence passed between them for a moment before Kakarot responded in a caring, somber tone.

“I’m sorry.”

Chi was surprised by this and searched his dark eyes that bore into hers. She could tell that he was genuinely sorry for her loss.  _ He cared? But why?  _ Chi softened at this realization and she could feel that if she wanted to tell him everything right now, he would listen.

“Thank you.” Chi muttered.

Kakarot glanced over at her and studied her pale face. Her solemn, sad expression made him want to wrap her in his arms and hold her tight against his chest but he held back. 

“Also, thank you for before.”

“For what?” Kakarot asked, confused.

“You know what. You saved my life two times. So, I’m thanking you.”

“Oh. It was no big deal.” Kakarot smirked and Chi rolled her eyes. 

“Well if it wasn’t a big deal then why’d you do it? Twice?” Chi asked.

“Why do you care?”

Chi crossed her arms and turned towards him and Kakarot followed so they were both facing each other in the night. Both of them stared at each other and finally, Chi snapped, “This whole time you’ve been saying that you can’t stand me but then you save my life twice. If you really couldn’t stand me, then why’d you do that? You could have just let me die and move on with your life!”

“I couldn’t let you go.” Kakarot blurted and they both stayed still, letting the words and the weight of what was said settle. 

“Wha-.” Chi asked but she was interrupted by Kakarot’s strong, confident voice as he repeated.

“I couldn’t let you go.” 

Leaning down, Kakarot moved forward and pressed his lips against hers gently, holding her cheek lightly in his palm. Chi’s initial shock soon turned into comfort as she closed her eyes and kissed him back, not realizing how much she needed or wanted this. Kakarot wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her tightly against his chest and Chi snaked her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Kakarot smiled briefly against her lips and ran his hand through her hair while his other hand pressed the small of her back closer to him. He considered what his father told him earlier and after some reflection, he knows what makes him happy.  _ It’s her _ . Chi crept up on him and she can be maddening and drive him insane but he now knows that he’d do anything for her. He’d do whatever he can to make her safe and  _ his _ . 

Slowly, he bent down and picked Chi up, not breaking his embrace. Chi locked her ankles around his waist, lightly sighing against his soft lips. Kakarot carried her inside, stepping through the door carefully and pinning her up against the closest wall. Their kisses become more urgent and fervent with Chi running her hand up his back while Kakarot lightly bites her lower lip, pulling away to graze his mouth down her neck. Chi breathes and closes her eyes as he runs further down, not wanting him to slow down. A tiny voice in her head becomes more pronounced though, and it's telling her that she needs to stop. She can’t fall for him, she’ll just wreck him and that’s the last thing she wants to do. He deserves someone better than her, she’s too guarded and cold. Even though he saved her twice, she still doesn’t know if she can or should trust him. Especially now with being so close to Frieza. No, she can’t afford to be involved or have him betray her. Not when her revenge is almost at hand. In the past, she’s used sex as a means to an end, hooking up with anyone just to feel something but it was always meaningless. If she went there with Kakarot right now, it would mean something, and she’s not sure she wants to or can even feel those emotions. 

Kakarot brought himself back to her lips and kissed her hard, his need growing. He wanted her badly but he wanted all of her and not just for one night. Chi moaned against his lips, and as much as she didn’t want to stop, she had too. As Kakarot moved and held her face in between his hands, Chi pulled back and whispered.

“I-I can’t.”

Confused, Kakarot searched her face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“This. I can’t do this.” Unhooking her legs from his waist, Chi hopped down and stood on the floor 

“Wait Chi-.” Kakarot said she slipped under grasp and walked away from him, hurrying down the staircase, while Kakarot stood with his hands still in the spot where they were holding her face. Now with empty space between his palms where her pale cheeks used to be, Kakarot clenched his hands into fists and sighed. 

Looking out to the balcony, Kakarot could see Chi running across the yard, covered by the darkness of the night and disappearing into the house, leaving Kakarot alone with the ghost of her embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all my friends for their support!! I could not have gotten here without you. And to everyone who has enjoyed this story, it truly means the world to me. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

_ A thundering roar echoed off the destroyed skyscrapers, glass crunching under the beasts' large feet.  _

_ The city’s residents ran for cover before finding a better position to attack the ruthless monster before them. _

_ “NOW!”  _

Startled, Kakarot sat up in the bed with a gasp, his chest heaving. His heart beat quickly against his skin and his breathing was fast and unsteady. Kakarot’s face and chest was covered in a cold sweat. He hadn’t had  _ that _ dream in a while and it was just as realistic as it had been in the past. Sighing, Kakarot leaned forward and placed his palms on his temples, closing his eyes and taking long, deep breaths to get his heart rate back under control. After a few moments, his breathing slowed and his body calmed down, remembering that it was just a dream.

A sharp pain throbbed in his back and Kakarot hissed, moving his hand back to sooth the source of the pain behind him, expecting to find his tail. Instead, his hand grabbed air. The phantom pain had returned and Kakarot had to distract himself to relieve the dull tenderness in his tail stub. Kakarot glanced at the clock besides him and then outside. The sun was slowly rising against the sky but it was still a bit dark out in this early hour. Sliding his feet to the edge of the bed, Kakarot stood and walked towards the balcony to look at the sunrise and get some air. He’d had a horrible night sleep outside of his nightmare so there was no point in trying to go back to bed. 

All night, Kakarot tossed and turned, his mind preoccupied by Chi and that kiss.  _ Did he do something wrong? _ Maybe he misread things but then again, they did have a few moments and he could tell there was something there, it wasn’t just in his mind. He was frustrated and confused, which made him even more annoyed because he came to terms with his feelings and knew exactly what he wanted, but it didn’t go as planned. He felt like an idiot and he should not be so aggravated by last night, but he was.

While walking towards the door to Raditz’s balcony, Kakarot caught a glimpse of his reflection in the long mirror that hung across the wall. Gazing through the glass, Kakarot briefly glanced at the area where his tail was no longer, remembering what the tail looked and felt like. The pain in his tail stub throbbed as his mind played tricks, sending nerve responses to that area but there was nothing there, causing the slow aching pain that Kakarot thought he overcame a while ago. Wincing, Kakarot moved away from the mirror and outside, hoping the pain would fade like it usually did when he could distract himself. 

The brisk morning air felt refreshing on his bare chest as he looked towards the sunrise, the sky getting lighter with each minute, signaling a brand new day. Kakarot ran a hand through his hair, and leaned against the rail, trying to shake off the dream. Maybe he’ll get a head start on training before his session with his father, but for now, Kakarot relished the solitude. 

A quiet creek from his parent’s house alerted Kakarot to movement below and he looked down to see Chi slowly opening the backdoor. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, black hair falling to her mid back. She also change into another outfit, wearing black under armor and green body armor, his mother’s old combat clothes. Kakarot looked at her with intrigue, curious as to what she was doing. Once Chi successfully closed the door, she turned towards him and froze. 

Their eyes locked and they both stayed where they were, unwilling to make the first move toward the other. After a moment of the standoff, Chi conceded and took a step towards Kakarot, her mouth opening in an effort to speak but then she quickly decided against it and stayed in her place. Frustrated and not daring to put himself out there again, Kakarot clenched his fist and took one last look at Chi before turning and walking back inside, slamming the door in the process. Chi shuddered in response to Kakarot’s departure and stood in the yard surrounded by a deafening silence. Kakarot’s anger was apparent, it emitted off of him and hit Chi like a wave. A strong force urged her to go to him, to explain why she abruptly left last night but she ignored it. 

Chi spent much of last night lying awake, replaying every second of that kiss, brushing her own lips with her finger, the ghost of Kakarot haunting her. Flashes of his smirk, his strength, his laughter, all these little memories torturing Chi. Howerer, she was powerless to do anything about it. She couldn’t go there with him. Instead, she had to remain cold and guarded, focused on the goal ahead.  _ Frieza. _

Resigning herself to the fact that she’ll have to face Kakarot later, Chi refocused and pulled out the ship capsule, clicking the top and throwing it in the air. Seconds later, their ship emerged and Chi boarded, grateful to be back in a familiar, comfortable setting. Firing up the engine, Chi set her course to Bulma, who lived in the castle with Vegeta. Luckily, Bulma didn’t know that she was currently here with Kakarot and as long as he kept a low profile, they should be on the road with a brand new radar in no time.

Since Bulma was her best friend, Chi actually visited Planet Vegeta a few times in the past, so she knew exactly where to sneak in and get to Bulma’s lab without others noticing her. After landing and putting away the ship capsule, Chi replicated the steps she had taken many times before. Jumping up and grabbing a flag pole at the back of the castle, Chi swung her body up and over on the pole, her feet delicately balancing on the metal. Gazing up to the lab window, which was two stories up, Chi dove up towards a ledge that was slightly higher than she was, grasping the concerte and pulling herself up on the stone. One last leap and she’d be at the lab window. Duplicating the same steps to the last ledge, Chi stood up from her crouched position and breathed hard. Peering into the castle window, Chi saw Bulma was turned away from the window, her shoulders slouched over her lab table, looking like she was deep in thought. Smiling, Chi tapped on glass, startling Bulma, who turned to Chi with an astonished look.

Bulma was dressed in her typical Saiyan armor with white coat and she walked to the window, carefully opening it.

“Chi-Chi? What are you doing here!” Bulma questioned and Chi jumped through the window, dropping into the lab with a grin. Bulma was the only one who called her Chi-Chi these days and it always reminded Chi of her roots.

“Well, I got a bit in trouble-.”

“What the hell did you do now?” Bulma interrupted as she walked towards her inventions table and eyed her best friend suspiciously.

“Nothing! Actually, that’s a lie, I broke the radar.” Chi confessed and Bulma groaned.

“Chi-Chi, we’ve talked about this. I know that he deserves to die but it’s not worth it. We can’t beat Frieza. You know what he can do. Besides, he’s already got half of the galaxy’s bounty hunters after you. You should focus on staying alive instead of running right to him.”

“Trust me, I know. But we can beat him! It’ll work this time, I have a plan. I just need you to fix the radar, and then I can be on my way.”

Bulma sighed and put out her palm, “Let me see it.”

Chi pulled out the broken radar and placed it in Bulma’s hand. Bulma brought the device closer and scanned it before walking over to her lab table, setting the device down and grabbing one of her tools.

“So, how bad is it?” Chi asked and Bulma peered up from the radar at her friend.

“This is destroyed! What happened?”

Chi would like nothing more to tell her best friend everything but that would involve telling Bulma about Kakarot and that was too complicated. Deciding not to expand further, Chi shrugged, “I just got in a little fight.”

“Little? Chi-Chi, for anyone else, this would take weeks to fix. But luckily for you, I’m a a genius.” Bulma smirked.

“When do you think you can have it ready?” Chi questioned and Bulma clicked her tongue, a trait Chi has learned to recognize when Bulma was deep in thought.

“If I put my head down and focus, I can get it back to you by tomorrow. Does that work?”

“That’s perfect. I’ll be back on track in no time then.” Chi replied with enthusiasm and sat across from Bulma as her friend went to work on the radar. As Bulma tinkered around, Chi’s mind went again to last night. Kakarot’s strong hands against her, roaming her body while his lips...why couldn't she stop thinking about him. Chi told herself she couldn’t do this but everything inside shouted at her to run and tell Kakarot why she left but she lost her chance with him, he can’t even talk to her. That made her heart feel heavy but she didn’t fully understand. She shouldn’t care this much about one kiss.

“Chi-Chi?” Bulma’s voice ripped her out of her daydream and back to reality. 

“Sorry, didn’t sleep last night.” Chi lied but Bulma saw right through.

“You’re lying. What’s on your mind?”

Usually, Chi was an open book with her best friend, the only person who knew and shared her experiences. However, this was something she could not share, at least not now. Chi moved to answer, but the lab door sprang open and the king walked in.

“Bulma-oh not you again.” Vegeta groaned in frustration and rolled his eyes as he saw Chi.

“Nice to see you too, Vegeta.” 

“What the hell is she doing here, Bulma!” Vegeta shouted and Bulma slid in between Chi and Vegeta, trying to calm the situation.

“She’s just here for the day, the radar needed to be fixed.”

“And then I’ll be out of your hair, your majesty.” Chi bit back. 

Vegeta clenched his jaw and seethed, “Do you not bow to a king?” Vegeta questioned. Chi snickered while she put her hand on her hip. 

“You’re not my king.”

Vegeta moved towards Chi but Bulma put out her hand and stopped him.

“Enough! You two are acting like children. I’m sick of it. Step away from each other now.” Chi obeyed but Vegeta stayed in his spot for a moment, earning a glare from Bulma.

“I said step away.” 

“Tch.” Vegeta hissed and backed up. The lab was filled with tension until Bulma spoke again.

“Much better. Now, what did you want, Vegeta?”

“I was coming in here to tell you that our scouts never returned from their mission. We need something to track him and I was hoping you could help with that.”

Vegeta glanced at Chi and curiously he asked, “Actually, maybe Chi could help us too. She does have experience searching for others and you said so yourself Bulma, She’s good at what she does.”

“Was that a compliment? Alright, I’m interested. Who do you want me to find? Might cost you but I’m always happy to earn some money.”

“A Saiyan traitor named Kakarot.”

As soon as Vegeta spoke his name, Chi froze instantly. Her heart raced as her mind flashed an image of Kakarot’s smirk that she’s grown to enjoy and Chi struggled. If this was a few weeks ago, she would have had no problem turning Kakarot over to Vegeta, especially with a reward. For so long, she had to look out for herself and now everything inside her was fighting against this new feeling. Now, she felt like she had to protect Kakarot and make sure no one would hurt him. Her internal conflict resulted in Chi spacing out, playing all the different scenarios of Kakarot getting caught by Vegeta and then her mind wandered to last night before Bulma called her name.

“Chi-Chi?” 

Snapping out of her daze, Chi recovered and questioned, “Who’s Kakarot?”

Bulma tensed and sighed, “A Saiyan who used to be one of the top commanders in the army. He was actually Vegeta’s right hand man for a few years but things happened and he decided to steal a valuable Saiyan artifact.”

Chi frowned. When she was scouting out Kakarot, she knew that the thing he stole from Vegeta was a map to the Super Saiyan. She also knew that Frieza had been trying to find more information on this Saiyan for years so the map will definitely help with her leverage. What was surprising to Chi was how Bulma knew how valuable this map was. She’s not a Saiyan and yet she understands how important this is to their race.

“So, will you join our mission to capture this scum?” Vegeta inquired and Chi wanted to say no but hesitated, her learned instinct to betray people and push them away almost taking over but somehow, Chi fought against it.

“No, I’ve got enough shit going on. I don’t need to be cleaning up your messes, Vegeta. But I am curious, what’s the artifact?” Chi asked, playing dumb with her friend and Vegeta. She needed to know more since Kakarot would never tell her.

“Basically, its a map to the legend of the Super Saiyan. The tale goes that those who follow it will find the power and unlock it for themselves but no one has been able to for years. Now with it stolen, we may never find it.” Bulma answered and Vegeta grunted angrily next to her, slamming his fist on the metal table.

“And now he’s put the whole planet at danger with his stupidity.” Vegeta growled and balled his fists in rage.

“Hey, can you watch it? You almost hit one of my inventions!” Bulma chastised the king, who became even more enraged.

“Well, I wouldn’t have to look out if this place wasn’t such a mess! How can you find anything here, woman!” Vegeta shouted and Bulma’s face flushed with red, her anger boiling as she screamed back.

“Don’t tell me how to maintain my workspace, you fucking asshole!”

Sensing that this could take a while and Chi would rather not be in the vicinity when these two really came to blows, Chi piped up and said, “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Bulma?”

“Yah sure, Chi.” Bulma brushed her friend off before glaring back at her lover with furious eyes. Vegeta was staring right back at her and as Chi was leaving, she decided to piss off the king one more time.

“Bye Geets!” Chi waved over her shoulder and Vegeta yelled at her immediately.

“What the HELL did you just call me!” He raged and before he could do anything more, Chi grinned and slipped through the window as the king shouted profanities.

  
  


* * *

The mountains surrounding Bardock’s home had one of the best training spots. He had found it in recent years and it slowly became one of his favorite places to train and think. It was a treacherous path and far away from everything else, but it was the perfect setting to put in some real work. The seclusion also helped Bardock train with his fugitive son, another blessing that Bardock was especially grateful for. No one was going to stop him from kicking Kakarot’s ass.

They decided to forgo flying and instead climbed the side of the mountain in order to keep Kakarot’s visit under wraps. It was a fantastic challenge for the two Saiyans, and it was a great warmup before their sparring session. Unfortunately, the weather turned while they were half way up the mountainside, and by the time they reached the plateau, it was severely raining. Standing ready in their individual battle stances, father and son were soaking wet from the downpour but they did not mind. As highly skilled warriors, their training taught them how to fight in any climate and to use that climate to their advantage. Bardock stared at Kakarot across from him, his son’s fighting stance similar to his own, complete with a wide, cocky grin.

“You better wipe that smile off your face.” Bardock said sharply.

“I can’t help it. I’m just excited to beat you again.”

“Well come on,” Bardock crouched down a bit more to defend Kakarot’s advance and continued with a low growl, “Show me what you got.”

Lightning cracked against the sky, illuminating the pair in the dark storm. With a shout, Kakarot blasted off the ground towards his father at high speed before they collided, both of them jabbing and blocking in perfect unison. Their speed became faster and faster as they both flew through the air, the fight’s impacts making various indents in the mountain’s surface. Each blow was magnified by the thunder booming around them. Achieving the upper hand, Bardock swung his fists above his head and slammed into Kakarot with power, sending his son hard into the ground below. Grunting, Kakarot stopped himself just before he hit the ground and charged back up to his father, heading right towards him but then vanishing in the last second, his speed so fast that Bardock could not see where he was.

“Damn it.” Bardock hissed and looked around on high alert, the rain turning to sleet and impeding his vision. Suddenly, Kakarot appeared to his side and punched Bardock hard in the gut. Kakarot’s blow was so forceful that it caused Bardock’s eyes to widen in pain, completely oblivious to Kakarot’s next move. His son spun and hit Bardock in the face with a sharp elbow, sending Bardock catapulting to the mountain’s surface, his collision causing the mountain to shake. Groaning, Bardock slowly crawled out of the hole, standing shakily on his feet and facing his son, who was wearing that stupid cocky grin. That expression pissed Bardock off because he only had himself to blame. Kakarot inherited his battle confidence from him as well as his cockiness. Bardock wiped some blood off of his face and caught his breath as he looked at Kakarot. Usually their training sessions in the past were intense but today, Kakarot was not pulling any punches, he was definitely angry about something. His son was much stronger than he was when he left, Kakarot clearly did not fall behind on his training.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to actually fight me?” Kakarot called from above his father and Bardock scoffed.

“Don’t get too overconfident. I’ve been doing this for a long time, kid.” Bardock stretched out his arm before slipping into his stance.

“I can tell.” Kakarot shot back and Bardock decided right there and then that all bets were off. 

“You asked for it son!” Bardock moved his hands to his side and began to gather his energy for his finishing move.

“Seriously? Do you know how many times you’ve used this against me!” Kakarot shouted and mimicked his father’s moves, slowly bringing his hands to his side. This would be the first time Kakarot would show off his new move to his father, and he smiled at the thought of surprising him.

Both men gathered their energy and Bardock yelled to his son, “Sure, but I held back. If I shot you with this much energy when you were younger, your mom would have killed me. But the gloves are off, Kakarot!”

“Bring it!” Kakarot responded and continued to gather his energy, hoping it would be a match to his father’s blast.

“You asked for it! HAAA!” Bardock shot his white energy blast earlier than Kakarot anticipated.

“Shit-Kamehameha!” Kakarot shot his blast in reaction to his father, rushing through the last bit of the move to block his father’s blast with enough time, but with not nearly as much power as he wanted. The blasts hit each other and the mountain trembled. Bardock was shocked at his son’s new move, the blast meeting his own with just as much force. Deciding that he wouldn’t be able to overpower this blast, Bardock grinned as he remembered another move that he’s never shown his son before. It was risky, but if he was successful, he’d teach his son a valuable lesson of never underestimating your opponent. And it would be fun to send Kakarot flying. 

Bracing himself for this move, a technique he hasn’t tried in a few years, Bardock focused himself and breathed. While his son was distracted by defending, Bardock quickly moved out of the blast’s trajectory and disappeared, moving faster than light.

“What the-“ Before he could even finish his sentence though, Bardock appeared out of thin air and swung his leg back, kicking his son with such power that Kakarot was sent soaring through the air and into the neighboring mountain with a loud crash.

Bardock hovered back down to the ground breathing hard, waiting to see Kakarot rise from the mountain rubble. It took a minute but he finally emerged, his Saiyan armor in tatters and his body covered in bloody cuts, the most notable on his arm, which had a dark red trail of blood down his bicep. Kakarot looked around disoriented but finally stepped over the rocks and walked back over to his father.

“How did you do that?” Kakarot questioned as he rubbed his head.

“I’ll teach you. It’s a good trick to have up your sleeve, if you perform it correctly.”

Kakarot nodded and winced as he rubbed his shoulder and Bardock peered at his son curiously. 

“Got a new move there, it’s really something. Where did you learn that?” 

Kakarot grinned, “Well I’m still learning, I haven’t really had too many chances to use it recently, but I learned it on Earth. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Definitely. We can work on strengthening it too, it needs some work.”

His son rolled his eyes and cracked his neck while Bardock decided to bring up another observation.

“You weren’t holding back today.”

Kakarot frowned at his father as he crouched down to stretch out his legs, “Would you want me to?”

“Absolutely not, but it's apparent you are angry about something.”

Sighing, Kakarot glared, “Well I went for it and it backfired so now I look like a fucking idiot. Thanks for the advice.”

Bardock put his hands up in defense, “Hold on, it’s not my fault she didn’t feel the same way.”

“No, she uh kissed me back. But then Chi just stopped and left.”

Bardock considered that. It was strange and he could see where his son would be frustrated and confused.

“Hmm. Chi seems very guarded.”

“She is. I saw her this morning and she didn’t say a word. Anyway, enough about her. Let’s get back to training.”

“Alright, get ready to have your ass handed to you by your old man again.”

“Yah, that’s not going to happen. I’m giving you everything I got.”

* * *

Rain was pouring across the village as Chi landed the ship and placed it back into the capsule. A full day and then they’d be back on the road. Although she wished Bulma could fix the radar sooner, Chi understood the delay but was still anxious. Not sure where else to go, she decided to head inside and hopefully find Kakarot to talk. She needed to clear the air, the tension between the two of them on top of what Vegeta and Bulma said about Kakarot was setting Chi over the edge. The worst part is that she didn’t know why this whole situation bothered her. 

While she was in Frieza’s control, she was taught from a young age that power and strength were the only things one needed. Anything else was a weakness and if Chi showed any semblance of who she was before Frieza came into her life, she was severely punished. To guard herself, Chi created another side to her personality as a way to compartmentalize everything she did in the name of Frieza, calling that person Chi. The person she pretended to be was the perfect soldier and killer, listening to every order and punishing enemies with malicious brutality. And then at the end of the day, Chi was able to set aside this person, putting her in a little box until she was needed again. This method worked for the first two years until Chi slowly started to feel herself forgetting who she was before her father died. As the years rolled on, Chi felt herself drifting further and further until she didn’t recognize who she was and she could no longer separate her darker side from the girl she once was, the two personalities merged. By then, she didn’t care for really anyone besides Bulma and she only looked out for herself. However, in her time with Kakarot she found herself slowly changing, a process she didn’t know was happening until it was too late to stop it. Now, all she wanted to do was talk to him but then she didn’t even know what she’d tell him. Chi didn’t even know what to tell herself.

Entering the small Saiyan home, Chi looked around for Kakarot, walking through the house until she met Gine in the kitchen. Kakarot’s mother was at the counter preparing another large dinner, chopping up meat and stirring something in a pot.

“Oh. Sorry, is Kakarot here?” Chi asked and Gine smiled.

“No, he’s out training with his father. They should be home for dinner soon though.”

“Thanks.” Chi replied and stood in the kitchen awkwardly, not sure what to do or where to go.

“Can I ask you something, Chi?” Gine spoke up and perked Chi’s interest.

“Uh sure?” Chi answered hesitantly and Gine set down the spoon she was using to stir the pot in front of her. She turned to fully face Chi and bluntly began.

“Is there something happening between you and my son?”

Gine’s words took Chi by shock. Trying to maintain her composure, Chi clenched her jaw, “It’s none of your business.”

Gine glared at Chi’s blunt response. “Let me stop you right there. I know my son. When he was trying to save you yesterday, he was so overwhelmed and frustrated when he’s usually very calm under pressure. I’ve never seen him act like that before and it was because of you. He cares about you, and I can sense that it’s deeper than he’d care to admit to anyone, even himself. When my son cares about anything, it consumes him. Kakarot dedicates everything he has to it, and I can see that’s already happening. He’s changed and he has a new sense of purpose which was something I hoped he would find again. All I’m saying is that he’s never had these strong emotions towards anyone. I can also tell that you care for him too.”

Chi looked at Gine with confusion. Sure, given last night, Chi could sense that Kakarot had some feelings towards her especially after he said why he saved her. _I couldn’t let you go._ Those words and his voice, deep and sincere, played throughout her mind all of last night. Was he caught up in the moment or was that his declaration of something more to her? He was also kind towards her, especially when he expressed his condolences about her father. All of today, Chi tried to figure out what his actions meant but now with Gine’s observations about her son, everything was starting to make sense. Chi needed more confirmation but it had to come from Kakarot himself. 

Chi kept pushing away those feelings, hoping if she ignored them, they would vanish. Instead, they were slowly bubbling to the surface. Kakarot’s actions last night ignited something within her, the small ember that was tucked away for some time was now slowly blossoming into a raging fire inside her.

Trying to keep guarded, Chi responded, “Gine, it's really none of your concern.”

Gine smirked, a light chuckle escaping her lips. She could see what her son liked in this Earthling. Iin normal circumstances, Gine would not encourage this pairing, but her son’s chances at finding a Saiyan mate were non-existent since he was a fugitive. If this mysterious woman made him happy, then Gine needed to support her son. However, Gine had to give Chi a harsh reality check for her son’s sake. She spoke up again after a few moments of silence with a direct and serious tone. 

“You’re a very guarded woman, Chi. I bet you’ve put up a fortress around yourself so you wouldn’t have to feel or have the chance to be hurt again right? You’re afraid of exposing yourself. I’ve been there before and although I can’t speak to your experiences, I do know how it feels to lose people and be hurt by others. You might think it's easier that way but you’re only hurting yourself. I can assure you that as much you try to deny your feelings, it will only make it worse.” Gine paused for these words to sink in and then she continued, “You need to figure out what you want and tell Kakarot. Because if you don’t, you're going to get both of yourselves killed.”

Chi considered Gine’s words. Kakarot’s mother was right, she needed to figure out what she wanted, they both did. Especially as the days waned and her confrontation with Frieza got closer. If they were both unsure of each other and distracted, Frieza would exploit them the first moment he got a chance, and Chi would not let that happen. She couldn’t bear losing Kakarot, she knew that now. And maybe that was one of the many reasons she was holding herself back. Long ago, she loved others and they were taken from her and that pain still hurts. If she allowed herself to care for Kakarot as deeply as she wanted to and something happened to him, Chi was sure she would not recover. It would break her to the point of no return.

Before Chi could respond any further, the front door barged open and Gine and Chi peered toward the front of the house, seeing Kakarot and Bardock holding each other up. Both Saiyans were covered in cuts and blood with their clothes in tatters.

“What happpened?!” Gine shouted as she ran towards her husband and son.

Kakarot grinned as he carried his father into the kitchen, “Our training session was a bit too much for him.”

“Don’t fucking lie. I  _ almost _ had you at the end there.” Bardock growled and then winced as Gine helped guide them through the kitchen and into the back room with the healing tank. As they passed, Chi and Kakarot’s eyes locked for a moment but Kakarot broke their contact, turning away and refocusing on the situation ahead.

“Bardock, can’t you train and not kill yourself for once!” Gine raged and helped Kakarot with placing a weak Bardock in the tank. Once the elder Saiyan was safely secured, Gine turned to her youngest child and shook her head. 

“Are you insane?” 

“Me? You know how he gets when he trains, Mom. I was just giving him what he wanted!” Kakarot said defensively and Gine raged.

“I don’t care! Now, let’s get your wounds cleaned up.”

“What? No, I’m-.” 

“Don’t argue with me, Kakarot. Sit your ass down and do not dare whine.” Gine pointed to a chair across the small room and Kakarot resigned himself to following his mother’s’ directions. Chi observed this interaction and smiled to herself, genuinely fascinated and moved by this family of Saiyans.

* * *

Bulma walked down the halls of the palace, deciding to take a brief break from Chi Chi’s broken radar before she put in another couple of hours fixing it. She was not sure what her friend was getting herself into, but she wanted to be as supportive as possible. Bulma has learned from experience that once Chi-Chi got something in her mind, she was obsessed with it until it was finished. Killing Frieza was no different for Chi-Chi but Bulma wished her friend would be more careful.

Deciding to see if Vegeta cooled down from their previous blow-up, Bulma entered the throne room to find the king sulking on the throne.

“If you came to pick another fight, I’m not in the mood, Bulma.” Vegeta sighed and Bulma continued to walk towards the throne. She briefly remembered one of their most recent couplings on that throne and blushed. Maybe if she was lucky and played her cards right, she’d be able to try again. And if not here then maybe her lab. 

“Nope, just needed a break.” Bulma grinned and sat on Vegeta’s lap, positioning herself to a more comfortable spot.

“Tch.”

“What’s got you so hot and bothered.” Bulma questioned with raised eyebrows. 

“Many things. Kakarot, your frustrating friend, and you.”

“Me? Don’t be bitter. I’ll make it up to you.” Bulma flirted with the king and slowly slid her hand lower on the king’s chest. Vegeta growled with desire and before they could take anything further, the room’s doors opened and they both turned to the intrusion with annoyance and surprise. When they turned to see who entered, both Vegeta and Bulma groaned.

“I see that you both are very busy.” An even, cold tone stated.

“What do you want, Aspara?” Bulma crossed her arms at the woman standing before them. Dressed in a dark grey Saiyan armor with black, thigh high heeled boots and a dark purple cape, Aspara stood before them with a smirk that Bulma so desperately wanted to wipe off her face. Aspara’s black hair was wrapped around her head in complex braiding and her intricate braids sat underneath a large gold crown covered in ornate jewels.

“Well Bulma. I just came by to give MY husband some fascinating news.” Aspara empathized her claim over Vegeta. The king might love Bulma, but Aspara was his wife and queen, a title that she loved to shove in Bulma’s face any chance got. 

“You better make this quick. Bulma and I have other plans.” Vegeta replied with annoyance, and he discreetly squeezed Bulma’s thigh to emphasize his loyalty and love to Bulma. She held the true power if she needed to wield it.

“Fine. Well, I have some vital information on...Kakarot.” Aspara glanced at the king as she waited for his questions and interest. 

“Tell me.” Vegeta demanded and Aspara continued, “Well, as you know I frequently visit his older brother’s bed. He’s a generous lover and my scouts keep an eye on his house in case he’s inviting anyone else over. You would never guess who they saw at Raditz’s house.”

“Stop teasing us, Aspara. Just spit it out.” Bulma snapped and Aspara rolled her eyes.

“My scouts saw your friend Chi and Kakarot at his brother’s place, kissing on the balcony last night.”

“What!” Vegeta and Bulma said in unison and stood together. Quickly, Vegeta turned to Bulma. “Did you know about this?”

“N-No. Chi-Chi didn’t tell me anything!” 

Growling low, Vegeta called a guard over, “Send our elite warriors to his home. I want him brought back alive. Go!”

Thinking quickly, Bulma moved to her watch to try to contact Chi-Chi but Vegeta glared at her, “Bulma, don’t even think about it.” 

“Vegeta, she’s my friend. I have to warn her.” 

“This isn’t about that stupid woman. It’s about Kakarot and he’s their number one target. Anyone who stands in the way of their capture will be dealt with. What happens to Chi is none of my concern.”

“Well it should be because she’s important to ME. If you care about me like you say you do, then you will tell your guards to spare her!”

“You know just as much as I do that they will do what they have to even if I give that order.”

Frustrated, Bulma shouted back, “Then what’s the point of being a king! If you won’t help me then I’ll do it myself.” Bulma huffed and stormed away, glaring at Aspara as she passed her. Before she pressed open the door, Vegeta called from behind her, “Bulma, do not interfere. That is an order!”

Bulma spun around in fury, “I don’t take orders from you! You do what you have to do, and I will do the same, Vegeta.” Her chest heaving from anger, Bulma glared at Vegeta across the throne room and then pushed through the heavy doors. Quickening her pace, Bulma set out to find a solution. She had to find a way to help Chi-Chi. She prayed that she wasn’t too late. 

* * *

Once his mother was finished tending to his wounds, which he begrudgingly accepted, Kakarot was able to have a few bites of food before deciding to head to Raditz’s to clean up. He briefly made eye contact with Chi in the kitchen on his way out, the tension apparent but he was not going to be the one to make the first move. He had already done that, and that’s what got them in this mess to begin with.

Opening the backdoor, Kakarot briefly observed the pouring rain outside before walking into the cold downpour, his body shivering before adapting.

“Kakarot!” Chi’s voice called behind him and he quickly turned to see her running after him, her clothes and hair immediately becoming wet in the rain.

“What?” Kakarot asked over his shoulder and Chi stopped behind him.

“We need to talk.”

“About?” Kakarot questioned but still did not turn around to face Chi. Since he was the one who stupidly put himself out there last night, he was careful to not reveal anything more about how he felt. Maybe if he just ignored it all, it will go away but he doubted it especially based on his thoughts today. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and it drove him crazy. 

Chi scoffed behind him and replied with a clipped tone, “About last night.”

“Just drop it.” Kakarot answered in a low voice, trying to keep his cool and he started to walk away from her again before she blurted. 

“I can’t.” 

Her response stopped Kakarot in his tracks and she pushed forward, “We need to talk about it.”

“Like I said, just drop, it doesn’t matter.” 

“If it didn’t matter then why can’t you face me. How can you say what you said last night and then turn around and tell me that it doesn’t matter.”

Something snapped in Kakarot and he finally turned to her, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want from me, Chi!” 

He stepped closer so that they were inches from each other, Chi’s dark brown eyes glaring up at him with a burning fury while Kakarot mirrored the same expression to her, both of their chests rising in anger. The rain surrounding them decided to pour harder and soon the downpour became so much that they could only see each other, the outside world cloaked.

“Tell me what you meant when you said you couldn’t let me go!”

“Why? It’s not going to change anything!” Kakarot shouted down at her, louder than he normally would so that Chi could hear him above the pounding rain.

“You don’t know that!” Chi flared her nostrils in rage.

“I DO know that! You’ve made your point last night.” Kakarot seethed.

“Let me explain-.”

“There’s no need to, Chi. It meant nothing.” He answered emotionlessly and his words stung. 

Chi pressed on, determined to finally get her clarity. “Nothing?! So what, that’s what you say to anyone you want to fuck and it usually works? And now you’re pissy and pouting like a stupid child because I wasn’t begging for you to take me right then and there?”

“That’s not what I-.”

“Well what did you mean!” Chi screamed in annoyance. They weren’t getting anywhere and her patience was thinning.

“It meant nothing because you don’t feel the same way!” He snapped. They both stood staring at each other, letting the words sit between them. 

“I-.” 

“Do you know how frustrating it is to want someone so badly but they don’t feel the same way about you?” The words started to pour out of Kakarot and he tried to stop himself but there was no point.

“Fuck, you drive me insane Chi! I think about you all the time and it’s infuriating.” His fists balled at his sides as he continued, “I can’t get you out of my fucking head.  _ That’s _ what I meant last night. But you don’t feel the same towards me so we can pretend it never happened. I’ll forget about it and we can focus on the mission.”

Chi was stunned. Gine was right and even her instincts were correct. Which meant that they were also true about Chi's feelings. The raging fire inside her that blossomed earlier had to be released now.

This was one of the hardest things Chi has had to do in a while, and she’s been through so much worse than expressing herself now to Kakarot. Being exposed like this made her feel helpless, but she decided to summon her courage and spoke as calmly as she could.

“Kakarot, you haven’t even asked me how I felt. Because if you did, then I would tell you that I feel the same way. I can’t get you off my mind either.” Chi breathed and tried to steady her heart rate.

Kakarot gazed down at Chi in shock. The world stopped around him and he held his breath. He had hoped for this answer but now that he heard it, he doesn’t know if it’s real.

“Chi-.”

Chi’s eyes widened and she screamed, “Behind you!” 

Just as Kakarot turned to see what she was talking about, his jaw was met with a hard knuckle, the blow sending him flying into the stone wall surrounding his parent’s house. Chi eye’s followed Kakarot as he was launched across the yard, the rain letting up slightly so she could see what was around her a bit better. She whipped towards the attacker and crouched into her stance. The man before her was clearly a Saiyan.

“Who the hell are you?”

“We aren’t here for you, girl. Give us Kakarot and we will be on our way.”

“Ew girl? Really?” Chi sighed and readied herself, “Well you’ll have to get through me.”

Suddenly, ten more soldiers landed around her. Chi checked her peripheral to see their locations, making note of the two in her blind spot. They were completely surrounded. Chi briefly glanced at Kakarot, who was slowly recovering from hitting the wall. She wished he would get up faster. She could get by with maybe half of these guys but all of them? She might not have the battle prowess that Kakarot possessed but she knew her limitations and when she was outnumbered. This was one of those moments.

Chi exhaled and charged towards one, feeling healthier and stronger than she has in a while since she was in the healing tank. Colliding with the Saiyan’s forearm in front of her, she ducked and dodged his attacks, keeping in tempo with his speed. Briefly remembering one of Kakarot’s lessons, Chi decided to test one of the skills he taught her a few days ago. Mimicking her opponent’s moves so that she was in sync with his attacks, Chi sped up her blows, catching him by surprise and overwhelming the Saiyan. With devastating speed, Chi landed an uppercut to his jaw and whirled around in a roundhouse kick, the Saiyan kneeling to the ground and flopping over in pain and exhaustion.

“Hmph. Not fun to get beaten up by a woman, huh? Asshole.” Chi looked down at the knocked out Saiyan in satisfaction and wiped off some rain on her forehead. Unbeknownst to Chi, with her guard down, another soldier was speeding towards her, Chi’s back turned toward him. Finally turning to the other Saiyans, Chi gasped when she saw the other challenger almost right there, trying to quickly defend herself but Chi knew it would not matter, there was no way to defend this. Bracing herself for what was next, Chi inhaled.

A blur of light distracted her from the threat and she blinked to see who saved her, the movement too quick for her eyes against the pouring rain.

_ Kakarot _

He met the Saiyan’s attack head on, holding his hands up to collide and block the soldier's advance. Grunting from the force of the assault, Kakarot skid across the wet ground, his back leg digging into the mud in an effort to halt the motion.

With their hands locked, Kakarot frowned at the Saiyan before him. It was one of his old comrades, someone who always seemed to be out to get Kakarot. He was a brutal fighter, and Kakarot could feel his instincts get excited at the chance to fight a decent challenge. 

“Napa.” Kakarot hissed and the bald man smirked.

Momentarily distracted by Kakarot’s quick action, Chi refocused herself on the other eight Saiyans in front of her. She knew she was vastly outnumbered again but she hoped Kakarot could finish his fight before things took a turn. Thunder rumbled across the sky as Chi geared up for another fight.

The soldiers advanced on Chi while Kakarot and Napa flew through the air with lightning speed and mind blowing power. The blows that Kakarot received and delivered shocked both warriors from the sheer force but each fighter continued to fight harder. This was exactly what Kakarot feared before they came here, and he hoped to end it as soon as possible so they could escape the planet. Hopefully Chi had the radar fixed so they could go.

While Kakarot was focused on his fight, Chi Chi threw a Saiyan over her shoulder, his body hitting the wet ground with a loud thud, the collision echoed by a crack of lighting. Satisfied, Chi turned to the rest of the soldiers and crouched down in her stance, wearing a grin of confidence.

“Who’s next?”

Most of the fighters flew towards Chi and her confidence quickly faded once she took a hard blow to her ribs and then to jaw, sending her flying hard across the sand. Shakily, Chi rose to her feet and panted, wiping off the blood from the corner of her mouth.  _ Alright, this was a bad idea _ she thought and prepared herself for another attack. 

“Kakarot!” A cry called from over Chi’s shoulder and she followed the voice to find Gine rushing towards a soldier and striking him straight in the jaw, causing the Saiyan to step back from the blow but he recovered quickly. Smirking, he landed a brutal punch to Gine’s gut, eliciting a shocked gasp from her mouth.

Above the ground, Kakarot witnessed his mother in pain and roared, “MOM!” Overcome with a burning rage, Kakarot dodged a fist and grabbed Napa’s wrist and threw him as hard as he possibly could across the sky, sending him straight into the neighboring mountains. 

Touching back down on the ground, Kakarot seethed as the Saiyan behind his mother picked Gine up by her wild mane. Gine whimpered in pain gazing at her son.

“Let her go, or I swear I will put you in the worst pain of your life.” Kakarot spat out, his fury apparent as his body shook in anger. Lightning flashed and illuminated against his malicious expression. 

“A worthy threat if you could actually do something about it, Kakarot. You know as much as we do that fighting would be futile. You’ve seen what we can do and we aren’t afraid to kill you all, even if it is against our fellow Saiyans. You however, the king wants alive.” 

The other Saiyan stated next to the warrior who held Gine. Chi stood her in place following Kakarot’s lead. Kakarot weighed his options but he knew the Saiyan, Teeb, was right. Vegeta sent the elite soldiers to capture him. These were men he fought hard besides and Kakarot knew that even at his full power, it would be a tough fight. They had his mom, he had to think of something quickly to get her away from them.

“Gine!” A strong yet pained voice called from inside the house and a still wounded Bardock limped through the back door. He’s wounds were still apparent so he must have gotten out of the tank before his body was ready when he sensed the commotion.

“You bastards, get away from her!” Bardock bellowed and weakly flew towards the soldier holding Gine.

“Father, don’t!” Kakarot pleaded but before he could react, his already injured father was punched through the air and straight into their home. The rubble and dust surrounded the spot where Bardock landed with no movement. Rain continued to pour and the yard was surrounded in silence before a loud cry disrupted the quietness.

“Bardock!” Gine wailed and tears trailed down her cheeks from the pain of watching her husband take that brutal of an attack. 

Chi watched the whole scene and clenched her jaw. Angrily, she whispered aloud to Kakarot, “We need to do something.”

“Do not move, Chi. I mean it.” Kakarot hissed in frustration but Chi decided that if he wasn’t going to do anything, then she will. She was in a similar position with her father and she was powerless to stop his death. Now, she was older and stronger. She won’t let what happened to her family happen to Kakarot’s. Thunder rumbled and the rain began to fall harder.

“I’m not going to stand around. Let’s go!” Chi shouted and ran towards the one Saiyan right in front of her and Kakarot turned towards her, “Chi, stop!” She threw a fist towards his face, but he quickly turned and elbowed her hard in the face. The force of the hit shocked Chi and she felt a bone in her face crack under his power.

Landing in the sand, Chi felt like she had all the power punched out of her. One blow and she was barely able to lift her head. The hit even snapped her hair band and now Chi’s long black hair rested upon her face. It then dawned on her that they were playing with her before, hiding their true power and abilities. They could have easily snuffed her out if they wanted to but they toyed with her instead. With effort, Chi raised her head off the wet, orange sand and peered over at Kakarot, who was looking right back at her and his eyes were dark with rage. He stared at her for a second longer and turned back to the man holding his mother. 

The Saiyan adjusted his grip on Gine, letting go of her hair and instead wrapping his forewarn and elbow around her neck, lining up to snap her neck in an instant if he needed to. Gine struggled against the hold, scratching the man’s arm with her nails.

Kakarot seethed. Everyone that he cared about was in danger and he had to stop this before he lost someone forever. He was not going to let his parents or Chi suffer because of him any further. He knew coming back home would be a risk but he figured that one day Vegeta would catch up to him. He didn’t think it would be so soon. Raindrops dripped off of Kakarot’s wild hair and down his face as he resigned himself to his decision.

Sighing, Kakarot told Teeb, “I’ll go with you if you leave them alone. It’s me you want.”

“K-Kakarot.” Gine wheezed under the Saiyan’s grip and Kakarot shouted, “I mean it! Let them go and you can have me.”

The soldiers chuckled and Gine was released, falling hard to her knees. She looked up with tears streaming down her face, she couldn’t let this happen but she could barely move. Teeb walked over to Kakarot, who stared up at the tall and lean Saiyan. Teeb chuckled before quickly pulling his fist back and punching Kakarot hard in the face in a total cheapshot. On his knees, Kakarot spit out some blood and coughed, glancing up at Teeb who crouched down to Kakarot’s eye level.

“Alright, Kakarot. We’ll take you in since you’ve got a death wish. It makes our jobs easier. But first, let’s ensure that you’re not going to pull anything on us. I know how your mind works.” From behind, Teeb pulled out a pair of handcuffs and Kakarot’s eyes widened.

“You fucking sick son of a bitch.” Kakarot replied with malicious rage, his hand gripping the orange sand beneath him.

Teeb laughed and flipped a switch on the cuffs, causing them to light up in a bright yellow glow. “I thought you’d recognize these, Kakarot.” Teeb threw another sharp jab at Kakarot causing him to fully collapse to the ground. The other Saiyans jogged over to restrain Kakarot, pushing him hard against the wet sand as Teeb forcefully grabbed Kakarot’s arms and pulled them hard up against his back. Kakarot struggled and grunted against the restrain, trying his best to get the others off of him. This wasn’t what he agreed to and he would not be put in those cuffs again. His struggles were to no avail as he felt the hot energy around his wrists and heard a click, signaling that he was now trapped.

Instantly, Kakarot felt his energy and power drop, and his body stopped its struggle against the weight of the other Saiyans. Slowly, he could feel every inch of his power drain and he felt so weak. Teeb placed his boot on his head and dug in, causing Kakarot to gasp in pain. Kakarot opened one eye and saw his mother across from him sobbing and the image broke him. He wished that she didn’t have to see this, and the image of her crying for him will haunt him for quite some time. Teeb laughed along with the other Saiyans and lifted his foot off of Kakarot’s head. Grabbing his black hair, Teeb pulled Kakarot’s face up and delivered another brutal blow. This time though, with his energy and power weakened and fleeting, the punch was able to do much more damage than usual and Kakarot heard a snap in his nose. Releasing his hair, Kakarot fell dazed and exhausted back to the sand, this time his head rolling and resting so that he was facing Chi instead. She looked worse for wear as she eyed him, trying to will herself to crawl to him but she couldn’t move. The ground was cold against his skin, with the rain finally beginning to stop and the storm clouds parted above.

Chi could not speak, partly from the pain of her own run in with a Saiyan and from the sight in front of her. Kakarot’s nose was broken and blood was dripping down his face. He looked completely drained, the usual sparkle in his eyes gone.  _ What did they do to him?  _

As the Saiyans laughed above him from his pathetic state, Kakarot tried to focus on Chi to distract himself from the cuffs draining his energy and from the throbbing pain in his face. While he laid on the wet sand, one question came to his mind that he needed answered.

“H-how did you know I was h-here.” Kakarot asked, his words fumbling from his exhaustion.

“We got a tip from someone who saw the king today.” Teeb answered with malice and slowly Kakarot thought of who would even know he was here and who saw the — his mind connected the dots and he stared at Chi at shock.  _ Why? _

Kakarot’s eyes narrowed at Chi and initially she was confused by his expression but then she put two and two together on her own and realized he thought she was the tip.

“Wait no-.” She whispered but the damage was already done. Chi saw as his face fall with the betrayal he perceived and it destroyed her. He looked absolutely devastated, his exhaustion allowing his emotions to be more apparent since he did not have the energy to hide his feelings. Chi tried to move towards him to explain but two Saiyans lifted him off the ground. Kakarot’s head fell limb to the side as if it was too heavy for his body to support and his feet dragged on the ground as they carried him towards the spot where the rest of the Saiyans stood. Teeb told his soldiers, “Someone go collect Napa. Tell him we have Kakarot.”

Towards the house, the fallen rubble moved and Bardock stood dazed from the rocks, opening his eyes to see the scene before him. To the left, Kakarot’s head hung as his body was supported by two Saiyans. His son looked like he was dead, but Kakarot slowly raised his eyes towards him and Bardock was able to see the extent of his injuries. He looked in really bad shape and Bardock clenched his fists. Worried about his wife, he searched to find Gine in the middle of the yard, her hand outstretched to Kakarot in pain, her small shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Finally, Bardock saw Chi out of the corner of his eye, laying on in the sand with her black hair sprawled against the orange ground. Bardock watched as Chi slowly raised herself up so that she was sitting up. 

Desperately, Bardock called to his son, “Kakarot!”

Teeb gave Bardock a smirk, “Get a good last look, Bardock. Because by tomorrow night, your son will be dead.” Nodding towards his men, Teeb and the others took off with great speed.

“No!” Gine cried out towards her son and Bardock carefully fumbled over the stones of their broken home and limped towards his distraught wife. He knelt down and gently turned her to face him, wrapping Gine tightly against his chest as she continued to wail, her cries muffled by Bardock’s body.

“Gine, what happened? How did they find him?” Bardock questioned and Gine poked her head out of his chest to respond. 

“They said they had a tip. But who would know he was here!” Gine asked and Bardock racked his brain.  _ How did they find him?  _ The only people who knew that he returned were him, Gine and...Chi.

Quickly turning to the Earthling, who was slowly rising to her feet and holding her cheek delicately, Bardock said in a low, intimidating voice.

“What did you do?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for my dear friends @kaychi and @Avie for all of your help with this chapter. I truly appreciate your support and encouragement.
> 
> Also shoutout to @tossu for her inspiration for an idea in this chapter.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!

Chapter 8

“What did you do?” 

Chi glanced up to see Bardock glaring at her, his dark eyes narrowed in an expression that reminded her of his son. Her cheek was throbbing from her blow earlier as she delicately held her face, certain that a small bone was broken. 

“I didn’t do anything.” Chi retorted. Right now, her only focus was on Kakarot. She couldn’t escape the image of his broken body in front of her before they took him away. Most of all, Chi could not stop thinking about the fact that he thought  _ she _ betrayed him. She knew how much betrayal of any kind stung but now after they’ve somewhat expressed what they meant to each other, Chi couldn’t imagine how Kakarot must be feeling.

“Then how did they find my son!” Bardock thundered and stepped away from Gine, storming up to Chi. Chi clenched her jaw and stood her ground, not daring to back down from Bardock. “You were the only other person who knew he was here and you went to the palace. So it had to be you!” 

Chi stepped towards Kakarot’s father and replied in a deadly tone, “Don’t you  _ dare _ accuse me of this.” 

Bardock gripped his fist and thought about blasting her through the house. Anger and fury swirled around him in a combination he has not felt since Kakarot was injured. Bardock was surprised that the Earthling had the nerve to stand up to him though. Clearly, this was one of the things that his son was drawn to. 

“That’s enough.” Gine ordered and stepped in between them, placing a hand on her husband’s chest. “Fighting with each other is not going to solve the problem.”

“Gine, you know she did it. I mean how else did they find Kakarot? We were careful with training and that’s the only time he left the house.”

Gine glanced at Chi and searched her expression. Hidden behind her anger towards Bardock, Gine saw an emotion that she was intimately familiar with. Worry mixed with a hint of sadness and care. Chi hid it well, but Gine was an expert at reading other people and Chi was clearly upset about Kakarot’s current predicament. There was no way she could have such a strong attachment to him and then betray him. 

Sighing, Gine turned back to her husband and answered, “She didn’t do this.” 

“Gine-.” Bardock argued and Gine explained, “I don’t have proof but I know Chi did not turn in our son. If you can’t trust her, then trust me.”

Bardock looked at his wife and searched her sad eyes. He’s loved and trusted Gine for years, and her judgment was always sound. Conceding, Bardock exhaled, trying to relieve the tension. His body was still worn from training and then being thrown through the house. He tried his best to hide the pain but an unwanted groan escaped his lips and Gine came to his side and helped to support his weight, placing his arm around her shoulders. 

“Gine, they are going to do a trial by combat. Even if they take the handcuffs off of him beforehand, Kakarot will be too weak to defend himself.”

Gine nodded, not wanting to think of her son’s death, “I know.”

“Wait, is that what that guard meant? They are going to have Kakarot fight to the death tonight?” Chi asked and Gine replied, “It’s our highest form of punishment.”

Chi shook her head. No, she would not let that happen to Kakarot. She wasn’t going to let him die especially when she still has so much more to say to him. If the roles were reversed, Kakarot would be doing everything in his power to save her, just like he had on the cliff and even getting her here to his parent’s home. Now, it was her turn to rescue him, and she was determined to get him back. With new resolve, Chi clenched her fists and started to walk away before Bardock yelled, “Where the hell are you going?”

She snapped, “I’m going to get Kakarot back.”

“Are you insane? Vegeta’s probably got him heavily watched. You can’t just walk in there without a plan. You’ll be killed.”

Frustrated, Chi put her hands up. She wasn’t going to sit around and let precious time pass by, “Then what do you expect me to do? Every second we are arguing out here is a second that we can be saving Kakarot. I’m not going to let him die.”

“And do you think we would?” Gine demanded and Chi shook her head.

“No, of course not.” Chi exhaled and continued with passion evident in her voice, “I just - we have to do something. I don’t care what he did or what he did to Vegeta.”

“Wait, you don’t know?” Gine questioned.

“Know what?”

“What happened to Kakarot.” Bardock stated and Chi fumed.

“No! He doesn’t tell me anything. All I know is from what I researched when I was trailing him back on Earth. And from what Vegeta told me.”

Bardock grimaced and peered over at Gine. It wasn’t his past or his story and Kakarot deserved to have the chance to talk about it with Chi when he wanted to, but she needed to hear this. She needed to know why Vegeta was so hellbent on revenge. However, to tell Chi it would also mean Bardock would have to dive in his son’s worst time and it's a story that even Bardock doesn’t like to think about too much. Gine glanced back at Bardock and exhaled.

“You need to sit down, Bardock. Let’s go inside. And then, we’ll tell you, Chi. You should know.”

Once inside, Gine led Bardock to their kitchen table, slowly lowering her husband onto a chair which he sat in with a groan, his wounds apparent now after the anger and adrenaline subsided. Grimacing at her husband’s pain, Gine glanced to the back room, which was completely destroyed from Bardock being blasted through it. 

Quickly, she walked into the space to find that miraculously, the healing tank was untouched albeit for a bit of dust. The walls around the tank had collapsed, leaving the room with only two walls, the other two destroyed. Crunching on glass, Gine looked down to see a photo she loved, the frame now broken and glass everywhere. Gine bent down to grab the photo, slipping it through her hands and smiled at the memory. It was a picture of Bardock with Raditz and Kakarot before a day of training, Bardock was behind the two boys, serious and resting one of his hands on top of Kakarot’s head and on Raditz’s shoulder. Kakarot was smiling from ear to ear while Raditz was mimicking his dad’s expression. The boys were much younger and Gine remembered how excited they both had been to train with their father who had just gotten home from a raid. Life was much simpler then.

Sadly, she gazed at her destroyed home, her safe haven for years. It was the living monument of how hard Bardock and Gine fought for this life and to be together. She never thought they would get here years ago, and now that they had, she could feel everything slipping away. Gine stood in the room for a minute, feeling a tear sting her cheek before she wiped it off quickly, the sharp movement alerting her senses to her tender stomach, causing her to wince. She’d take care of herself later, she didn’t want Bardock to worry. Heading back into the kitchen, she placed a hand on Bardock’s shoulder, telling him that he should start. Chi stood across from them, leaning against the wall with interest.

Bardock sighed and began, “First, to give you some context, Chi, Kakarot was an elite commander so his crew was the best of the best. This all took place about two months ago or so and Kakarot was on one of his hardest missions.”

* * *

The dark room was silent as Kakarot sat on the floor. His hands were chained to a thick iron rod behind him and the energy draining handcuffs were still snapped tightly onto his wrists. Kakarot already felt worn from the battle earlier and the cuffs did not help his stamina now. Grunting, he struggled against the iron, willing any remaining power he had to fight against these restraints. 

Nothing worked and he tried again and again, screaming loudly in an effort to power up, the cold metal cutting into his wrists. He had to get out of here quickly before too much energy was taken from him. Kakarot knew exactly what could happen if these were kept on too long. However, he was exhausted and his body felt heavy. Dozing off, Kakarot slipped into a dark memory.

_ It was a dark, chilly night as Kakarot’s crew trudged through the swamp. Each soldier had their guard up, waiting for the enemy as they all slowly made their way to ambush them. The clouds covered the sky so there was no telling if there was a moon or not, but Kakarot did not think they needed to transform. The planet’s inhabitants were strong but Kakarot was arrogant and didn’t think he and his team should waste the transformation on this mission, they needed stealth not brute power. They’ve been on the planet for a few weeks now and all their battles with this planet’s warriors had been brutal but his team had always managed to win.  _

_ As they worked their way through the cold, muddy waters of the swamp, Kakarot was on high alert. They could have easily flown but the element of surprise would have been lost as they approached a tiny village up ahead. Kakarot and his crew went back and forth on the best plan of action and after some deliberation, they decided that this was the way to go.  _

_ If he had known things would go so horribly, he would have chosen a different strategy but there was no way he could have known this at the time. _

_ Storming the marsh in front of the small lit village, Kakarot’s team charged and began their assault, slaughtering the small groups of villagers instantly. Blasting a villager with ease, Kakarot looked around expecting more of a fight, at least that’s what all the data had said. Something was off but he couldn’t pinpoint what was bothering him. Suddenly, something hit the ground and a bomb went off, sending Kakarot hurtling into a building with power. Unable to stop his trajectory, Kakarot crashed through brick and glass, landing hard on the ground. As he hit his head hard, Kakarot faded and he fell into darkness. _

_ A while later, Kakarot awoke to a throbbing headache. His vision was blurred but after a few moments, he was able to focus his sight on his environment around him. Instead of being in a wet swamp, Kakarot was in some sort of warehouse, which was dimly lit and dark. Groaning, Kakarot tried to move but he felt that his hands were restrained behind him. He hit the chains with effort against the back of the chair, hoping to get them to break. He felt so tired all of the sudden as well, like every drop of energy was being draining from his body. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily broken out of his chains but now, he could barely lift his own head. Searching for answers, Kakarot scanned the room and then locked eyes with his second in command, who was also bound. Getting a better look, Kakarot saw a bright glow behind his comrade.  _

_ Whispering, Kakarot asked his teammate, “What happened?” _

_ “They ambushed us. Half the crew either was blown up or was killed on sight. They only took you, me, Squas, and Sallot.” He nodded toward the other side of Kakarot.  _

_ “Well, look who is awake! Now, we can finally get started.” A short, fat alien with red skin and large webbed ears approached the restrained Saiyans. He was wearing a fitted grey suit and glossy shoes that clicked against the hard floor. Behind him stood two built men with a similar appearance and black tight shirts and pants. They both looked at Kakarot and his crew with venom. _

_ “What do you want from us?” Sallot asked and internally Kakarot cursed. Sallot was new to the team but he should still know better. Saiyans are trained in the art of torture and they are taught never to speak or divulge any information. As a soldier, if you are captured, you are expected to give up your life before you talk.  _

_ The short man held up an energy blaster and shot Shallot right in the head, killing him instantly. Kakarot fought against his restraints in anger. _

_ “I didn’t say you can speak. Now, we only have three of you. No matter, we will get one of you to talk. So tell me, what is the secret to your power. How can my people defend against your Saiyan army?” Kakarot snickered. What an idiot. _

_ “Oh you think that’s funny?” The short man nodded to one of his guards and they came over to Kakarot and in a swift motion, delivered a brutal blow to Kakarot’s jaw, his head snapping to the other side from the force of the punch. The hit was worse than normal and hurt more than it should as Kakarot felt his face throb from the impact. _

_ “That might have hurt a bit more than you are used to, Saiyan. You are currently being restrained by our energy draining handcuffs. Any blow you receive is worse than normal. You also might have noticed that your body might feel more tired and fatigued. Your stamina has been depleted and your body’s defense against attacks are useless.”  _

_ Kakarot turned his head towards the man and another blow was delivered to his gut, the force of the blow shaking Kakarot’s entire body. Bent over, Kakarot coughed, spitting out blood on the concrete floor in front of him. He glared up at his captors, slowly raising his head.  _

_ “Hit me again, and I’ll kill you.” Kakarot hissed in a low, deadly tone. _

_ The men around him laughed and the short man turned to Kakarot’s second in command. _

_ “Now, tell me. What is the secret to your power?” _

_ His teammate did not answer and the two guards beat him like a punching bag over and over. When it was clear that he wasn’t going to give anything up, the short man raised his gun up to his friend’s head and pulled the trigger. The force of the blast pushed the chair on the floor and his friend’s limp head fell to the side, his dead eyes staring directly at Kakarot.  _

_ “Maiz!” Kakarot shouted and faced their captors, unable to control his temper. He fought hard against the handcuffs, shaking the chair as he tried desperately to charge at them.  _

_ “You bastards!” Kakarot screamed through his clenched teeth. _

_ “I guess we will have to beat you into submission until you tell us. Get to it boys.” The fat man snapped his fingers and the two guards walked over to Kakarot, delivering blow after blow to his worn body. It felt like he was being tossed back and forth with their fists, they were unrelenting in their assault. Each punch hurt more than the previous one, his normally strong body unable to help him. After a moment, they stopped and Kakarot struggled to even move his head, somehow throwing it back on the chair to breathe heavily, his chest shaking with each breath. He closed his eyes to try to control his breathing, his whole body exhausted and after a minute, Kakarot opened an eye. Above him, the clouds finally cleared and through the building’s skylight, he could see his secret weapon. A full moon.  _

_ Smirking, Kakarot gazed directly into the moon’s glow. After taking in the moon’s light, Kakarot pulled his eyes from the moon and lowered his head so his face was clouded. He then started to chuckle. _

_ “Boss, I think we broke him.” A guard murmured and Kakarot laughed louder, feeling the blutz rays course through his broken body. _

_ “You want to know the secret to our power? Fine. I’ll show you..”  _

_ Glancing up with a malicious grin, Kakarot growled, baring his descended fangs to his captors as the transformation began. Roaring, Kakarot easily broke free of the chains, and shattered the chair he was sitting on, now standing and flexing his muscles. His skin slowly morphed into the giant ape until he was full size, destroying the skylight above him as the building was too small to contain his form. His remaining comrade, Squas, glanced at the moon as well and began his own transformation.  _

_ Their captors scrambled to find something to defend themselves but it was useless. In a swift motion, Kakarot struck the three men, throwing them hard into the wall. Grabbing the fat one, Kakarot threw the body across the city and crushed the other two guards, relishing their demise at his hands. _

_ Now focused on this mission, Kakarot wreaked havoc on the small city with Squas. Kakarot’s thundering roar echoed off the skyscrapers he destroyed with ease, glass crunching under his large feet. With a blast, Kakarot burned down a row of towers, killing everyone instantly. As the night wore on, Kakarot and Squas easily slaughtered most of the city’s inhabitants. All except for a few.  _

_ The remaining city’s residents ran for cover before finding a better position to attack. Kakarot stomped through the rumble, looking for the survivors. His power was a bit weaker then normal, but he didn’t know the lasting effects of the cuffs at the time. As Kakarot searched and punched through more buildings, a loud cry from behind him caught his attention. _

_ “Now!”  _

_ Turning towards the noise, Kakarot shot a blast from his mouth, but as he did so, a large ray from behind struck his back, cutting deeply across his skin and shooting down to his tail, slicing it off. In one last desperate action before he lost this form, Kakarot turned and shot a heavy energy ball towards the perpetrator, killing him. As his form devolved and Kakarot slowly turned back to himself, Kakarot’s body went into shock from the attack. Landing on the ground in utter pain, Kakarot laid there unable to move.  _

* * *

“Thankfully, his partner was able to get Kakarot on a pod and get him back home. When Kakarot arrived, it was unexpected since he wasn’t due back for another six weeks. I was there that day at the training facility teaching with some younger Saiyans when one of my friends told me I had to go with him. Initially, I thought something happened to Gine so I dropped everything and ran.” Bardock sighed and clasped his hand on top of Gine’s on his shoulder. He hated that feeling of helplessness.

“When I got there, the doctors had Kakarot on a stretcher and they were trying to control the bleeding from his tail while treating his other wounds. It was utter chaos because it’s been a while since a Saiyan, especially one of Kakarot’s rank, lost their tail so everyone wanted to get a glimpse, even the doctors. They were all poking and prodding Kakarot and no one was actually taking care of him. I was going to lose it. So I charged in and as soon as they stopped the bleeding, I took Kakarot home so he could heal in private without being an experiment.”

Bardock paused and remembered that night. By the time he was able to get Kakarot out of the medical facility, it was dark and Kakarot was finally coming too, the drugs and exhaustion waning. Bardock kicked down his home’s front door and carried Kakarot inside, shocking Gine who was cooking his dinner. Not having a moment to spare, he laid his son on the table in the back, trying to quickly put the formulas into the healing tank. Kakarot now was fully awake and in utter pain, he writhed and screamed on the table, gripping the end of it in agony. Bardock could never forget his son’s screams. He could also never forget his wife trying to calm their son through tears. It was a horrible night, and this was a memory he wasn’t comfortable sharing with Chi. 

Continuing, Bardock explained, “A week after the incident, Kakarot was still healing. The doctors later concluded that the prolonged exposure to those cuffs caused his body to be more vulnerable than normal, which led to the enemy behind able to seriously wound Kakarot with such a small attack. Everyone was talking about it when I went to train or teach, and no one knew if Kakarot was going to be able to come back to his rank since his main power was gone. But, King Vegeta solved that question. That week, the king stopped by and relieved Kakarot of his post, stripping him of any honors he had, and barring him from ever fighting for the Saiyans again. It destroyed Kakarot.”

“So that’s when he stole the map? In an effort to get back at Vegeta.” Chi questioned and Bardock replied, “It wasn’t immediate. Kakarot was still healing and dealing with some remaining issues from the mission. It was about a month after that he snuck in and stole the map, escaping from the planet soon after.”

“Did he say why he stole it?” 

Bardock shook his head, “No. He came back here in the dead of the night to say goodbye. All he told me before he left was that he needed to find more power. He said he needed to shatter the limits of what a Saiyan could do.”

As Bardock finished the story of Kakarot’s past, Chi crossed her arms and thought hard on what was just shared. She could sympathize with Kakarot, having everything you’ve ever known ripped from you was a devasting feeling and Chi knew firsthand how isolating and damaging it could be. She was glad Bardock told her what happened to Kakarot before they met. Chi felt like she finally knew him and could better understand him. 

Sighing, Chi spoke up, “Thank you for telling me. But that doesn’t solve our current issue. We’re wasting time just standing here and talking about the past. That’s not going to do us or Kakarot any good.”

“We will think of something, Chi. Let’s just talk it out and take breath.” Gine warned. 

“I’m done talking. We need a plan to get him back and we need to figure something out now.” Chi demanded. She was tired of waiting, tired of going in circles with no resolution. Kakarot needed her to be decisive if he was going to live.

Before Gine could answer, a knock came from the door. Cautious and curious, Gine walked to her front entrance and opened her wooden door to reveal the king’s mistress. 

“Bulma!?” Chi asked and raced over to her friend. 

“What the hell do you want?” Bardock turned in his chair and asked in annoyance. 

Bulma frowned, “I’m here to help.”

* * *

It had been a few hours of Kakarot trying to break free and nothing seemed to be working. His body was spent but he knew he had to keep trying. If he didn’t, he’d be defenseless in the trial by combat later tonight. Kakarot knew that if he was going to die, he’d at least want to go down in a fair fight. Thinking quickly, Kakarot contemplated if he should try to dislocate his shoulder to loosen the restraints. It would be painful but then there was the question of actually escaping this room, which was heavily guarded and he was locked behind a heavy door. Before he could finalize his decision, the large steel door opened and Kakarot lifted his head to see who had entered. Blinking, he couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him.

“Chi?”

“Come on! There’s no time to waste.”

Surprised, Kakarot asked, “How did you get in here?”

“I’ll tell you later, now let’s focus on getting you out of these chains.”

She knelt down in front of him and then her face changed, revealing a sinister grin and she broke up in a laugh.

“Are you really that stupid? Did you forget I was the one who gave you up in the first place?”

Kakarot hissed and the pain in his body dramatically worsened. He hadn’t forgotten that betrayal, in fact, it destroyed him when he thought about it. He played back all their interactions, trying to find a clue that he missed but there was nothing obvious. It was confusing and irritating to think that he let his instincts dull so much over his feelings for Chi, but then again, none of his usual internal warnings told him to be on alert. A small part of him had hoped that it wasn’t true. That Chi wouldn’t say she cared for him just to get his guard down. Kakarot tried to keep his mind focused on escaping, but Chi was constantly on his mind.

“Why?”

Chi teased him with a pouty look and mimicked his question in a mocking tone, “Why? Because you were becoming a liability. I told you what you wanted to hear.”

Kakarot snapped and lunged towards her, his restraints holding him back from getting to her. Chi laughed as he winced from the cuffs digging into his skin. Kakarot shook his head and suddenly Chi was gone. Confused, he scanned the prison but he was the only one inside, the room was deathly quiet. Sighing, Kakarot tried to breathe, his mind must be playing tricks on him, the exhaustion from his energy being drained has gotten worse. He was delusional and hallucinating. In front of him, the door creaked open to reveal three guards who were snickering.  _ Fuck _ Kakarot cursed internally.

“Look how the mighty have fallen. The great Kakarot is chained like an animal.” One guard sneered and his comrades followed suit. They stepped closer to Kakarot and the other Saiyan swung hard, smashing Kakarot’s already weakened body with force, snapping Kakarot’s head to the side. Grunting, Kakarot turned to face the guards with a deadly glare.

“Oh coming back for more? At least you still have some balls left, Kakarot.” Another guard stated and threw a sharp jab to Kakarot’s side, while the others began to land consecutive blows and punches to Kakarot’s body, unrelenting in their power and force. Kakarot was defenseless, and all he could do was just take hits and try not to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break. He refused to show pain and instead gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw, denying any response from escaping.

The Saiyans finally pulled back, out of breath from their beating of Kakarot. 

Looking up at them from his bowed head, Kakarot snarled, “I’m going to kill you.”

All of the guards cracked up, whooping and hollering at Kakarot’s threat, knowing that he was trapped in this cell.

“How do you suppose you’ll do that, asshole? You can’t even get yourself out of here.”

Kakarot’s head slumped unintentionally as his injuries from their attack started to become more obvious, the sharp aching pain in his body growing. Before Kakarot could reply, the prison door opened and all the guards stopped laughing and stood at attention.

Footsteps clicked against the ground as they approached Kakarot and a deep voice commanded, “Leave us.”

From his gaze on the ground, Kakarot could see the many shadows disappear to only one shadow. The metal door slammed shut and with effort, Kakarot looked up to reveal who was standing in front of him. Anger rose inside Kakarot, sitting in his chest once he saw who it was.

“Vegeta.”

* * *

Chi stood in front of her friend, frowning in confusion, “Bulma? What are you doing here?” 

Bulma stepped into the house without permission, grabbing Chi’s elbow and taking her off to the side, “I’m sorry I was late, I had to make sure you were alright. Although, your face has seen better days.” Bulma grimaced as she scanned Chi’s bruised and battered features.

“How did Vegeta find out Bulma?” Chi demanded and her blue haired friend’s face immediately turned to annoyance. 

“Vegeta’s stupid wife, Aspara. She saw you two last night...on the balcony.” Bulma paused to let Chi take in this moment, letting her understand how the events fell into place. Chi ran a frustrated hand through her raven black hair, cursing under her breath.

“Shit.”

“I know but like I said, I’m here to help.”

“Why? You’ll be going against Vegeta. Won’t that cause problems between you two? I can’t ask you to do that.” Chi asked with concern.

“He won’t be happy with me but he’ll have to get over it. After everything we’ve been through, I’m not letting you do this alone.” 

The two friends stared at each other, silently understanding what Bulma meant by her statement. They survived years under Frieza with only each other to lean on. Through all of the pain and hardship, they were each other’s constant and even though things have changed, that was still true. 

Smiling, Chi nodded and then murmured, “Okay. Do you have any idea on where we can find Kakarot?”

“Do you even know me? Of course I do!”

Determined and focused, Bulma and Chi walked into the kitchen, Gine following close behind. 

Gine cleared the kitchen table so that Bulma could lay a set of blueprints on it, beginning to detail her master plan at rescuing Kakarot. It was odd to have two Earthlings direct Gine and Bardock on what the best course was to save their own son, but right now Gine’s main focus was Kakarot so she swallowed her reservations about Bulma and Chi and listened intently to Bulma’s plan.

“Alright, so Kakarot is probably here.” She pointed to a back room under the palace and continued, “The guards only put high priority prisoners there. And those are prisoners that are the hardest to contain and the most likely to escape.”

“Well he’s got these energy draining handcuffs on so I’m not sure he can go anywhere.” Chi spoke up.

“Dammit. We developed those to only train soldiers so nothing like what-.” Bulma trailed off and Bardock slammed the table, causing Bulma to jump.

“Like what? Say it!” He thundered and Gine put a hand on his shoulder again to try to calm Bardock down, but she knew it was useless.

“What Kakarot went through would never happen again. Now all warriors are being trained to defend themselves against those types of weapons. It was never meant to be used as a way to capture a fellow Saiyan.”

“Ha, fellow Saiyan. Your boyfriend should remember that because he’s treated my son like he’s some outsider trash even though Kakarot was once his right hand man.” Bardock snarled.

“I’m trying to help your son now. If you don’t want it, fine. You can go in half cocked and get yourself killed.”

The two seethed at each other and Chi finally put her foot down, “Shut up! We can’t get anywhere if we are going to be fighting with each other. So Bardock, zip it or I’ll make you.” 

Bardock growled and gripped the edge of the table, ready to rage at Chi’s threat but Gine interrupted, trying to calm the situation further, “Chi is right. Please continue, Bulma.”

“Anyway, that’s where he’ll be. We can get in through a secret stairway from my lab. I think that passageway was probably for the old scientist to do experiments in private so it's a little creepy. But, that’s your best bet to go inside undetected. Once you get down there though, things become a bit tricker. First, there’s a short hallway that leads to another which will be our problem area. In the second hall, there are ten guards. Once you get through the first hallway, you will need a code to get to the more guarded corridor. If you get through there, at the end there is another door that needs another code. If all goes well and you get there, Kakarot should be right inside.”

“Seems easy enough. I can take the guards in the second corridor, lethal force in tight spaces is my favorite and it’s what I’m best at. Bardock, you can take whoever is in the first hallway.”

“You can take down ten Saiyans without backup?”

“Oh she can, I’ve seen it firsthand.” Bulma winked at Chi.

“Alright, it’s settled but what about the codes and security?” Chi asked as she scanned the blueprints, looking for potential blind spots. She’s been a part of more complicated missions so this shouldn’t be terribly hard, but the codes and security systems could always be a weakness to any strong strategy. They could not afford any mistakes.

“I’ve got that taken care of. I can hack into the system and put the cameras on a loop as well as break the code but you’ll have to be quick. I don’t know how long I can hold off without tripping the alarm.”

Chi nodded and looked to Bardock and Gine. “What do you two think?” Although she could do this all on her own, a part of her figured she should ask the two worried parents in front of her. 

“What about the king? Wouldn’t he be expecting this?” Bardock questioned and Bulma nodded.

“He is. But I’ve got just the thing. I’m going to pass along a rumor that Lord Frieza is going to land shortly. The unexpected visit will put everyone in a frenzy. Even though Vegeta could care less about Frieza, he still wants to maintain the peace and he’ll make sure things are ready.”

“Makes sense, especially after that rumor of Frieza wanting to blow us up from a few years ago. I’m in, it’s been a while since I’ve had a good brawl.” Bardock smirked with anticipation and stood before wincing from his injuries.

“Oh no. You have got to get in the healing chamber, even if it's for 20 minutes.” Gine demanded and Bardock protested.

“Are you serious, Gine? We’ve got to go now!”

“I am serious. Get in the tank before you go and get yourself killed. Now.” Gine yelled and Bardock gave her a look before angrily limping past her to the back room. She turned to Chi and Bulma, “Give him 20 minutes. Then we should be set to get Kakarot back. You should probably recharge too, Chi. You took a beating.” 

Chi shook her head, “I’m fine, really.” She wasn’t but she’d never say so. But, Gine once again saw right through her.  _ How did she do that? _

“Come on. It will only take a few minutes.” Gine insisted and Chi conceded. She turned to her friend who shrugged and they followed Gine to the back room to prepare for the upcoming battle. Chi was anxious and ready to move forward with their plan. Her intuition told her that Kakarot was in serious trouble and she had to get to him fast. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew that once she had Kakarot back, she’d feel better.

* * *

“Vegeta.” Kakarot spat out and the king looked down at Kakarot with a smug grin.

“Kakarot, Kakarot, Kakarot. Did you really think you could run forever?” Vegeta sneered. 

“No, I always figured this would happen but I thought it would at least be a fair fight. I know you’re itching to see who is the best.” Kakarot teased and Vegeta’s temper flared.

“I am the best you low class trash!” Vegeta hissed which made Kakarot chuckle. Sure, his body felt heavy and it was an effort to keep even his head up, but antagonizing Vegeta was too easy. Kakarot was enjoying getting a rise out of the king.

“Low class? Huh, that’s funny. I wasn’t low class when I was your best warrior.”

“You’re far from that now, huh Kakarot?” Vegeta quipped back and Kakarot growled before Vegeta continued, “You are a disgrace. What kind of a Saiyan, especially one of your caliber, gets their tail cut off in battle. You should have done everyone the courtesy of dying on that planet instead of coming home.”

A burst of energy overcame Kakarot and he jumped up, standing on shaky legs and leaped at Vegeta, moving until the chains stopped him but he struggled against their hold. Seething, Kakarot screamed right in Vegeta’s face.

“FUCK YOU!”

Vegeta chuckled, “Did I hit a nerve? Well, I’m surprised you still have some energy left. But that will fade.” Vegeta smirked and lightly slapped Kakarot’s face back and forth, causing Kakarot to snarl.

“Why chain me up before you fight me? Don’t you want me at my full power?” 

“Yes, but you’re too fucking stupid to realize my plan so I’ll just go ahead and tell you. Since we’ve developed those handcuffs, every Saiyan warrior has trained themselves with them. We all know that a Saiyan grows stronger and adapts after they are severely weakened in battle, so it’s a great way to have our elite warriors push past their limits. I’ve beaten myself down so many times that my power has grown exponentially.”

“So what, you’re going to weaken me and then let me heal so that I grow stronger?”

“Exactly. When I kill you, I want you at your best.”

Kakarot would be lying to say that his Saiyan blood wasn’t tingling at this challenge. They've always had a rivalry and now, nothing will be held back. 

“Fine. Take these things off and let’s go.” Kakarot stated and Vegeta shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“Not so fast, I’m going to let you suffer a bit more. And once I’ve dealt with you, I’m going to find the map that you stole and harness the power of the Super Saiyan, which you clearly haven’t figured out yet.”

Kakarot paused. It’s been a while since he’s actually thought about the map, his focus lately has been on the Dragon Balls and Chi. Even on Earth, he didn’t really know what to do with it or where to even start. The writing had to be heated so that you could see the inscription but even when Kakarot read the map, he couldn’t understand where it led to. He always thought that he’d figure it out eventually but then life had other plans. 

“No, I haven’t but I will.”

“I know why you stole the map. You couldn't wield the power of the great ape anymore so you had to go and steal my BIRTHRIGHT so that you can feel like a Saiyan again.” Vegeta’s temper rose.

Vegeta correctly guessed his intentions but Kakarot kept his face stoic in his response, “You could say that. I also wanted to piss you off. Imagine if I became a Super Saiyan before the king. What would people say then, your highness.” Kakarot smirked and Vegeta quickly swung back and punched Kakarot square in the face with all his power, breaking Kakarot’s skin as he collapsed on the floor from the force of Vegeta’s hit. Gasping, the blow hurting worse because of his vulnerable body, Kakarot panted and gazed up at Vegeta.

“I’m going to enjoy making your death as painful as possible, this will be fun.” Vegeta looked down at his rival and decided to torture him a bit more. “You can also thank your brother for getting you in this mess. Raditz saved me the job of searching for you across the galaxy.”

“Huh?” Kakarot winced and sat up, confused on why Raditz was involved in this.

“Not your brother directly but he’s been sleeping with my wife, Aspara. She had spies on his house for some stupid fucking reason, and they saw you and Chi last night.”

“Wait, Chi didn’t tell you?” Kakarot asked with a hint of hope.

“No, Aspara did.”

Time stopped for Kakarot as he took in this information, relief flooding his senses. It wasn’t Chi who turned him in. Deep down he didn’t want to believe it and he should have followed those instincts instead of immediately assuming she betrayed him. So what she said before was true, she did feel the same way as he did.

“It’s interesting. Before she met you, Chi probably would have turned you over the first chance she got. You must have fucked her good, Kakarot.” Kakarot bared his teeth in a low growl.

“Do not talk about her.”

“Touchy subject? Well, even though she’s Bulma’s best friend, she has been a thorn in my side for years. It wouldn’t take much for me to call Frieza or to put a hit on her.”

Shouting, Kakarot jumped out again at Vegeta, this time on his knees, flexing his muscles hard against the chains as he struggled to break free. 

“I swear if you hurt her!” Kakarot screamed as Vegeta stood over the furious fallen Saiyan.

“Look at you, you’ve let yourself become weak with pointless emotions. Maybe it was a blessing that your tail was cut off, because I couldn’t have such a fool in my army. But know this Kakarot. Once you’re dead, I’ll become a Super Saiyan and defeat Frieza. I’ll be the strongest being in the universe, no one will be able to stop me.” 

Vegeta squatted down so he was at eye level with Kakarot, “And for your treason to the Saiyan race, I’ll make sure my first target after Frieza is your woman. She’ll be much more tolerable dead.” In a low laugh, Vegeta stood and exited the room, leaving Kakarot fighting against his restraints in frustration and fury.

* * *

Once she was fixed up and Gine went to tend to her husband, Chi paced around in Kakarot’s parents’ living room. She was tense and needed to get moving. 

“Can you stop that, you’re making me dizzy.” Bulma requested and Chi paused in the middle of the room.

“We need to go. I can’t stand waiting anymore.” Chi responded.

“I can tell.” 

Chi glanced at her friend and immediately recognized the glare Bulma was giving her, “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about Kakarot.” Bulma questioned with a hint of annoyance behind her statement.

“There’s nothing to tell. We are on a tight deadline and this whole thing is setting us back.” Chi answered emotionless and Bulma called her out instantly.

“Don’t do that!”

“Do what, Bulma?” Chi yelled and Bulma shouted back.

“Hide your feelings! You forget that I know you better than anyone, so I know when you’re lying. This isn’t about your mission, or Frieza or anything else. It’s about him.”

“It’s not.” 

“It is! You’re worried about Kakarot and that’s okay to admit, Chi-Chi. You don’t have to keep everything bottled in.”

Chi shook her head.  _ What the hell has gotten into me?  _ She could usually hide her emotions well and no one would be able to tell what she was thinking. Before she found Kakarot in that bar, she was the perfect warrior. Chi was cold, calculated, and nothing shook her. However, since she’s met Kakarot somewhere along the line, he broke down those barriers she built and shattered the walls she surrounded herself with for protection. And now, just when she was finally ready to confront her feelings for him, he might be taken away from her.

“Fine! I’m worried okay? But I can’t say anything more because I need to focus. I just need to get him out of my head for five seconds so that I can have all my attention on what’s next.” Bulma smirked which made Chi roll her eyes, “What now?”

“Nothing. You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“I hate you.” Chi bit back, earning a laugh from her best friend.

“No, you love me.” Bulma teased and Chi allowed herself to smile at her friend, knowing she was right about that.

Elsewhere, Gine entered the back room to see that the healing tank was empty. Confused, she looked around the broken room to eventually find her husband leaning up against the back of the tank, with a cigarette in his fingers, smoking rising from his side.

“You know how much I hate that, right?” Gine spoke up and Bardock moved, looking strong and healthy again. He smiled warmly at Gine before she came up to his side, “And you’re smoking inside!”

“Technically, it’s outside since I destroyed our house.” Bardock teased.

“Not to mention you passed this habit onto our sons.”

Chuckling, Bardock raised the butt to his mouth, inhaling for a minute and then exhaling a cloud of smoke in front of him. He then dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot. “Happy?”

Gine exhaled, “How are you feeling?”

Bardock flexed his right hand, his arm muscles rippling with the movement as he nodded, “Never better.”

Gine looked over her husband to make sure, he had a tendency to lie about these things but he seemed to be telling the truth this time. 

“Should be an interesting rescue with Chi leading the charge, huh?” Gine questioned and Bardock huffed.

“If Kakarot wasn’t so hot and bothered by her, I would have kicked her through the rest of the house by now. She’s so-.”

“Determined?”

“Difficult is what I was going to say. I bet she gives Kakarot a run for his money.” Bardock grinned, which caused Gine to giggle.

“They have good chemistry, I can tell. Once they get their feelings sorted out, they would make a good pair, even if she’s a bit rough around the edges.”

“And human.”

“That too. But, if Kakarot’s happy then I can’t complain. It’s not like he can stay here and meet a Saiyan or anything.” 

“True. I am looking forward to seeing her in action though. She seems to know what she’s doing.”

“She’s definitely a force.”

“Good, we will need it. How are you feeling more importantly? It's been awhile since you took a hit like that, Gine.” Bardock turned to face his wife and brushed her elbow.

“I’m okay.”

“Don’t lie to me. I know you better than you think I do.” Bardock stated in a low, yet soft voice as he grazed his finger along Gine’s neck, noticing the large red finger marks from the guard’s grip earlier. He clenched his fist, furious at himself for letting someone touch let alone hurt his wife.

“I’m alright, Bardock. You taught me how to take a hit, remember?’ 

Smiling at the memory of their training sessions, Gine weaved her arms around Bardock’s waist and leaned her chin on his hard chest, looking up at his dark brown eyes.

“Besides, I’m more worried about you. Promise you’ll come back?”

“Gine, don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

“I know, I just....” Her eyes watered as she turned away. Gently, Bardock put a finger under her chin to make her face him again. Staring down at her, he said in a serious, even tone, “I promise.”

“Are you ready, Bardock?” Chi called from behind them, not realizing she was interrupting an intimate moment between them.

Bardock and Gine turned to face the two Earthlings standing in their kitchen. Chi’s eyes burned with a fiery determination and Bardock thought that she could be a Saiyan with that look. She seemed like she could handle herself, and Bardock was interested to see how she did in the field. 

Nodding, Bardock then leaned forward and captured Gine’s lips with his own, their embrace strong, reminding him of the many times she’s seen him off to battle. 

Breaking away from her, Bardock whispered, “Wait for me.” 

It was a saying that they exchanged back when they had to say goodbye to each other and while they haven’t said it in a while, it still brought back memories and their promise. The promise that they’d wait, no matter how long it took for the other to come back, safe and sound.

Releasing her hold, Gine watched Bardock, Chi, and Bulma walk away, leaving her standing utterly alone in her broken home. She thought she’d be used to anxiously waiting for her loved ones to come back but it wrecked her every time she had to let them go. But, just like she has so many times before, Gine stood strong and determined, knowing that she’ll get through whatever happens next.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, hugeeee thank you to @kaychi and @avie for their help and feedback! I could not have done this without you!

Chapter 9

Ten unmoving guards stood ready in the hallway, focused on securing their high risk guest. Locked away behind the door, dripping water from a pipe was overshadowed by the strangled shouts and frustrated groans of a prisoner. Screaming hard against the locked chains, the cell’s occupant continued to fight against the chains, desperate to escape. Kakarot had to get out and become stronger so he could stop Vegeta. He knew Chi could handle herself, he’s seen it first hand but still he had to protect her, especially against an unknown force like a Super Saiyan. Determined, Kakarot silently promised himself that once he got out and they defeated Frieza, he’d follow that map and do whatever he could to become a Super Saiyan and put down Vegeta once and for all.

“Kakarot?” A familiar voice said his name and he peeked up. 

Immediately, shock and fear seized Kakarot, a similar response to when Chi was injured or about to fall from the cliff. Shuffling towards her, Kakarot begged Chi, “You gotta get out of here, Chi. He’ll come after you if he kills me and he won’t stop, I know Vegeta.” The room around him began to spin as he hoped Chi would listen. 

“Don’t tell me what to do. Now come on, break out of those fucking chains and let’s go.”

“I can’t. Trust me, I’ve tried but I’m too weak. Forget me, Chi. Please.” Kakarot pleaded and coughed. Suddenly, his body felt so heavy and exhausted, his anger from his confrontation with Vegeta fading and his body’s pains resurfacing again. 

“You’re getting out of here, stop whining.”

Kakarot groaned and his head slumped unwillingly, his control over his body weakened. He hated having Chi see him like this, and he despised feeling this helpless. 

“You can do this, I believe in you.” She whispered in a soft tone, a hint of care in her voice and Kakarot picked his heavy head up to glance up at Chi. Surrounded by the dim light of the room, Chi’s hair was down and she looked beautiful, bearing a peaceful expression Kakarot has never seen. Her quiet presence comforted him and he felt lighter, the dark room around him suddenly getting brighter. 

Blinking, Kakarot’s surroundings changed and the prison disappeared, revealing a peaceful sunny valley, someplace he'd never been before but he immediately became calm and content. He felt the warm sun on his skin and noticed the weight of his chains get lighter. Chi smiled and she moved towards him. Reaching to her with his hand, Kakarot inched closer but then the strain and rattle of the chain stopped him. Shaking his head, Kakarot opened his eyes and Chi vanished. 

Sighing, Kakarot realized he was hallucinating again but this time, the absence of Chi left him feeling empty and alone. 

* * *

Bardock, Chi and Bulma were able to sneak into Bulma’s lab undetected, the rumor of Frieza arriving distracting everyone in the palace. Walking through her lab, Bulma pulled open a hidden door in the wall that revealed a dark spiral staircase heading down.

“Through here. I’ll keep watch. I have to stay in my lab anyway because Frieza thinks I’m dead.” Bulma said as Bardock and Chi walked over to her. Chi somehow forgot that is how they got Frieza off Bulma’s back, pretending that Chi killed her once they escaped his clutches. It ensured Bulma would be safe while Chi took the brunt of Frieza’s anger. It was a sacrifice Chi was happy to have made. 

“You sure you’ll be okay out here?” Chi asked while Bardock ducked his head into the doorway and started to walk down.

“Yes. Now go, I’ll be in your ear the whole time.” Bulma pointed to her own earpiece that was similar to the one in Chi’s ear. Chi nodded before following Bardock. The stairwell was barely lit as they descended.

“I know you said you can handle getting to Kakarot but are you sure you don’t need back up? I’m itching to punch someone.” Bardock whispered from in front of her as they continued their climb down and Chi responded, “No, I’ve got this. It’ll be a walk in the park.”

“Huh, are all Earthlings this overconfident?” Bardock questioned as he got to the bottom and turned to Chi, who hopped down from the last step.

“Nope, just me.” 

It was evident now what his son liked about Chi and although he wanted to punch her through his house earlier, her attitude was somewhat growing on Bardock. 

“Alright, the first door seems to only have one guard.” Bardock stated as he peeked in the tiny door in the window. They had to get through this first hurdle and then Chi would be on her own to get Kakarot. “I’ll take care of him and you make a run for the door.”

“Right.”

“Opening the first door in three, two, one.” Bulma spoke in the earpieces in both Bardock and Chi’s ears and the door unlocked. Nodding, Bardock pulled the handle and fired a distraction blast to get them through the door.

“Go!” He yelled at Chi, who sprinted for the other side as Bardock and the guard collided, trading blows. 

Chi didn’t look behind her once she got to the second door and she instructed Bulma, “Door two, now.”

“Done.” Bulma replied and the door clicked. 

Taking a deep breath, Chi opened the door and came face to face with 10 guards, all of whom just noticed her and readied themselves to attack. She’d have to make quick work if she was going to get to the end of the hallway. At the end was another locked door that separated her from Kakarot.  _ She had to make it there. _

“Chi-Chi?” Bulma called in her ear and Chi answered quickly.

“I’ll talk to you in a bit.”

“Please be careful.” Bulma pleaded and Chi smirked and cracked her knuckles

Sauntering up to the group, the first Saiyan guard charged at Chi with a shout, aiming a fist right at her cheek, which she quickly dodged and kneed the Saiyan hard in the chest before elbowing him in the jaw, sending him into the title floor with a thud. These Saiyans were not as strong as the others who came to Kakarot’s home but they were still a challenge. Focusing on the next soldier on her left now, Chi slid under his legs and punched the back of his knee, bringing it to an unnatural angle as he screamed and collapsed on the ground. Still crouched down, Chi fired a short but powerful energy blast up towards the Saiyan running towards her, hitting his chest and killing him instantly. Rolling towards another running guard, Chi swept her leg quickly under his foot, grabbing his shoulder and slamming him on the ground before she punched his throat. Seeing another guard coming in for back up, Chi gathered energy in her hand and blasted his comrade into the concrete wall. 

By now the remaining guards started to team up and a group of three charged. Thinking about the strategy, Chi knew that in this tight of a hallway, she would have to be intentional and purposeful in her attacks. One wrong move and they would overwhelm her, so she had to be smart. Looking around for an idea, Chi saw a pipe running up from the wall to the ceiling.  _ Perfect _ .

Shooting a beam from her fingertip, Chi cut the pipe above her, causing smoke to fall and cover the hallway, giving her an advantage. Running towards the guards, Chi struck the first Saiyan she encountered, bringing his head hard into her knee and grabbed his hair, slamming his head repeatedly up against the concrete wall, his unconscious bloody face sliding down the wall. Keeping herself focused, Chi shot another beam straight through the next Saiyan’s chest in a fatal strike. With the smoke still giving her cover, Chi sprinted and came at the next guard quickly, punching him consecutively in the face before letting up and throwing a kick into his chest. Once he fell, Chi walked over to his form on the floor and stomped with power down on his neck, crushing it. Returning her attention to the next challenger, Chi blocked his punch and grabbed his wrist in a lock, using her body weight to flip him into the tile floor. Once his body fell, Chi turned and shot a beam over her shoulder right through his heart, pushing forward. Two Saiyans rushed at her and Chi slid out of one’s way, and in a deadly rapid motion, she threw a short roundhouse kick to the closest Saiyan sending him flying into his comrade as they both struck the wall. Chi fired a beam through both of their bodies and their eyes widened in before slumping down the wall, landing on the ground limp. 

Finally turning to the last guard, a female Saiyan who wore an annoying smile, an unspoken challenge was communicated between the two and Chi raced towards the woman. Blocking the quick jab with her forearm, Chi threw her head with power into her opponent’s, Chi’s forehead throbbing but she knew it was worth a headache later. The Saiyan staggered back but recovered, storming towards her faster than Chi could react and throwing a sharp uppercut to Chi. Dazed, Chi’s ears rang and her vision blurred as the Saiyan shoved her back against the wall, coiling her hands around Chi’s neck. Gasping for air, Chi struggled to get out of the hold before bringing her fist up and punching the female guard's inner elbow, allowing her to immediately release her hold on Chi. Panting from the lack of oxygen, Chi threw her body at the guard, kicking her against the wall. Landing on the floor, Chi stood and shook off the previous attack, still slightly thrown off but focused on the mission in front of her.  _ Saving Kakarot _ . 

With new resolve, Chi remembered a quick takedown Kakarot taught her. Ducking another punch, Chi slid under the Saiyan’s outstretched forearm and threw a sharp jab to her kidney, causing a gasp. Gripping her wrist, Chi threw the woman over her shoulder, slamming her into the ground before she quickly flipped and rolled on top of her. Chi placed her calf and knee around the woman’s neck, using the guard’s arm to apply more pressure to her neck. Desperately, Chi fought against her victim’s struggles which slowly died out before the body stopped moving. Breathing heavily, Chi laid her head back on the cold tile floor to recover from her fight. Chi removed her calf from the dead Saiyan’s body and kicked the body away without care before closing her eyes to control her breathing.

“Chi-Chi?” Bulma said in her ear and Chi groaned before standing, still worn from the battle but she answered her friend a moment after she spoke.

“I’m here.”

“Don’t scare me like that!” Bulma shouted and Chi cringed from her volume.

“Can you not yell in my ear! Okay, I’m at the door. Do your magic.” Chi replied between shaky breaths. 

“Got it. One second.” Finally, the steel door in front of Chi unlocked with a loud click. 

“You’ve only got five minutes until the alarms go off, that’s all I can do. Get him and get out. Bardock is waiting outside.”

“Understood.” Chi told her friend and wasting no time, Chi gripped the cold metal handle and pulled out the heavy door. Once open, Chi stared into the darkness before her, stepping hesitantly and on guard. As she walked further in, her eyes adjusted to the dark room and stopped, the sight shocking her.

In front of her, chained to a thick iron pole that was attached to the ceiling, was Kakarot.

He was on his knees with his arms pulled back. His head was down with his face hidden by the shadows of the room. Dried blood stained the floor around him.

“Kakarot?” She said barely above a whisper, her voice quiet as she felt all her strength leave her body.

Responding to her voice, Kakarot lifted his head with a groan. His face was bloodied and bruised, with a dark swollen cut forming under his eye. Kakarot’s nose was still broken and his lip was cracked, dried blood trailed from his mouth. His dark eyes were lifeless and his skin was so pale it almost looked grey.  _ What did they do to him? _ The strong, dominating man she knew was now struggling to lift his head and his body was ravaged and weak. Chi’s heart beat hard in her chest, the sight of seeing Kakarot like this broke her. Taking quick steps toward him, Chi slid on her knees so that she was right in front of Kakarot, searching his face and battered body.

Kakarot gazed at Chi with trepidation. How many times has he seen her since he’s been here? He couldn’t stop thinking about her and so his mind played cruel tricks, causing Chi to haunt him. Everytime in the past that he’s gone to touch her or at least tried to, she disappeared. This must be a dream or another hallucination.

“Chi?” Kakarot replied with effort, his voice weak and hoarse.

Inching closer, Chi murmured, “Hang on, okay?”

“You’re not here.” He wheezed and coughed, “The sun feels good though, Chi. It’s a nice day.” His eyelids drooped and Chi grew increasingly frightened about his well being.

Kakarot could barely stay conscious and now he was talking about the sun in a pitch black dungeon. He must be so weak that he’s become delirious.  _ Shit.  _ She had to get him out of her now, or he might not make it. Earlier today, she was forced to finally confront her feelings for Kakarot. Now, seeing him so vulnerable and helpless, she knew that if she lost him, it would absolutely destroy her. There would be nothing to bring her back. A burning rage ignited in her chest. She’d kill whoever tried to take him from her, and she’d take her time with it, making them suffer.

Finding her voice again, Chi replied, “Kakarot, it’s me.”

With the sound of Chi’s voice so close and so real, Kakarot opened his tired eyes before he answered with emotion, his voice quiet, “I-I can’t tell if you're real or not.”

Chi’s eyes softened and gently, she brought her hand to his cold cheek, “I’m here. It’s me.”

Kakarot closed his eyes at her hand and leaned against her palm, her touch calming and distracting him from his body’s aches and pain. She was here.

They stayed in this embrace for a few moments, silence passing between them in a comfort they both needed. Chi was relieved to see that he wasn’t pulling back from her touch but that could also be from his delirium. She still needed to make sure that he knew the truth, that she didn’t hand him over.

“Kakarot, it wasn’t me that turned you in. It was Vegeta’s wife. Please, you’ve got to believe me.”

Against her palm, Kakarot opened an eye and breathed shakily from his injuries, “I do.”

His belief and trust in her made Chi’s breath hitch and her throat feel tight with emotion. She feared that she’d lose him in more ways than one. This whole day, Chi worried that even if she did save Kakarot and they escaped Vegeta, he wouldn’t believe her and would turn his back on her. Kakarot was still there and had faith in her, and Chi felt a relief wash over her. He wasn’t going to walk away.

“Chi -.”

“We’ve got to move. I’m going to get you out of these damn things, okay?”

Kakarot nodded and Chi stood and walked behind him. Using her energy beam, she easily cut through the chains and released Kakarot’s bloodied wrists. He fell forward on the ground and Chi quickly rushed over to him, forgetting how exhausted he must be. Not wasting anytime, Chi leaned down and put his arm and most of his body weight on her as she stood.

“Shit, how much do you weigh, Kakarot?” Chi teased and besides her, Kakarot groaned.

“Seriously?”

Smirking, Chi hurried as fast as she could with Kakarot out of the door, his feet dragging on the floor. Closing the door to avoid the alarms, Chi held Kakarot up as they walked down the crowded hallway with the scattered bodies Chi piled up. Opening an eye, Kakarot gazed at the broken guards and questioned, “Was this you?”

“Did you expect anything less?” Chi responded as they neared the end of the hallway.

“You missed one.” Kakarot nodded to his side, revealing a soldier rolling in pain holding his knee.

“Dammit.” Chi sighed and shot a beam through the man’s chest. He flopped on the ground.

Kakarot chuckled besides her, “ A little sloppy there, Chi.”

“You know, I could just leave you here.”

“No, you’d missed me too much.” Kakarot side eyed her and Chi half smiled, knowing that she was caught. She would miss him, terribly.

“Just..shut up, okay?” She snapped and Kakarot hissed in pain next to her, the brief moment of normalcy gone and reminding both of their reality. 

Nearing the exit, Bulma unlocked the door and Bardock was on the other side, ready to grab Kakarot’s heavy body from Chi. Lifting his son over his shoulder quickly, Bardock nodded and briefly admired Chi’s handiwork behind her before they jogged down the other hallway. Once out of the prison, Bardock and Chi hurried up the stairs to the lab to meet Bulma, a now unconscious Kakarot on his father’s shoulder.

Looking at the battle worn group and a grey Kakarot, Bulma rushed them to the window, knowing that the Frieza ruse would be up any second. She’d have to deal with Vegeta later but her focus was on getting them out of the palace. Bardock climbed through the window and hovered in the air with Kakarot while Bulma stopped Chi as she was mid-way through the window. 

“Wait! You almost forgot this.” Bulma shouted and handed Chi a brand new radar.

“You fixed it? Thanks, Bulma.” Chi stared at Bulma for a moment and then leaned forward to hug her, which was a rare occurrence even for Bulma. Chi didn’t know when she’d see her best friend again, so she needed to make sure she made this goodbye count.

Bulma whispered in Chi’s ear, “Make him pay, Chi.”

Nodding into her shoulder, Chi replied, “Thank you, for everything.” Chi specifically emphasized her last word, wanting to let Bulma know that their talk earlier was needed. Bulma forced Chi to confront her feelings even more than Gine did and now she had clarity and peace within herself. Pulling back, Chi gripped her friend’s shoulder and ordered in a serious tone, “If Vegeta is giving you a hard time about this, call me on the watch. I can meet you wherever.”

“I’ll be fine. He’ll be pissed for a little while but then he’ll calm down. He can’t stay mad at me forever. Good luck, Chi-Chi. Please be safe.”

“I’ll let you know how it all goes down.”

“I can’t wait to hear about everything. And I mean everything.” Bulma eyed Kakarot and Chi rolled her eyes, deciphering what her friend meant. 

Bulma smiled, “Now get going, you don’t have a lot of time to get off the planet before they find out.”

Refocused, Chi smiled at her friend one last time before ducking under the window and leaving. 

* * *

Landing quickly at his home, Bardock barged into the front door with Kakarot and Gine met him as they both hurried to the back room.

“Is he?” Gine asked worriedly as she swept some hair off her son’s face while he was still on Bardock’s shoulder. Bardock then laid their passed out son on the table next to the tank and Gine took in her son’s injuries.

“He’ll be fine but all his energy is depleted. We need to get him into the tank quickly.” Bardock ordered and they moved before Chi interrupted.

“There’s no time for that. We need to leave the planet before Vegeta finds out that Kakarot escaped. Bulma said we only have a few minutes.”

“What?” Bardock narrowed his eyes at Chi. “How do you expect him to recover, look at him!”

“I know he’s in bad shape, but I’ll take care of him.”

“How? He’s barely alive.” Bardock bit back and Chi stood her ground again with the elder Saiyan.

“Trust me.”

Gine looked up from her son’s sleeping form and glanced at Chi. The fiery expression she bore earlier when she talked about rescuing Kakarot returned and Gine knew she could now entrust her son’s safety and even his happiness with Chi. She proved that today when she fought like hell to get Kakarot back. 

On the table below her, Kakarot started to stir and finally opened his eyes with a groan. Quickly, Gine helped Kakarot sit up as he coughed weakly, “Chi’s right. We have to leave before it’s too late.” 

“Kakarot, even just a few minutes might help.” Gine pleaded and Kakarot winced, “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll be fine though. I trust Chi.” Kakarot tiredly glanced at Chi to assure her that he was telling the truth. After everything they’ve been through, he now trusted Chi with his life.

Bardock didn’t like having Kakarot leave in such bad shape anymore than his wife, but he placed a comforting hand on Gine’s shoulder, “He’s right, Gine.”

With tears welling in her eyes, Gine conceded and Bardock moved to assist Kakarot off the table. Bardock supported his son’s weight as they walked back outside to Chi’s ship. Once they stood in front of the ship, Bardock passed Kakarot's worn body off to Chi carefully, Chi holding him up with her arm around his waist. 

Kakarot was frustrated that he couldn’t stand on his own two feet to say goodbye to his own parents, but he knew his body was too weak. He peered down at his mother, who’s eyes were full of tears which trailed down her cheeks.

“I just got you back and now I have to say goodbye.” Gine sobbed and Kakarot felt a tug in his heart. He hated seeing his mother cry, especially over him.

“I know.” He answered softly and leaned down to hug her, Gine wrapping her arms tightly around her son, not daring to let go.

“Ow, Mom.” Kakarot groaned, noticing that it’s the first time he actually meant that his mother’s hugs were hurting him. All the times in the past had been to tease her. But unlike her other embraces, Kakarot didn’t want to let go. Something inside told him to hold on tight and remember this moment but he didn’t know why. 

Gine pulled away and lightly touched his bruised and tired face. She then glanced over at Chi, passing her son off to this new woman in his life, hoping she’d take care of him, but Gine knew based on today there was nothing to worry about. Chi would have died to save Kakarot and Gine was comforted by that fact.

Bardock now stepped forward, clapping his son’s shoulder, “Make us proud, son.” He stated in a serious expression. His father and him were never the type to embrace and be emotional. They were Saiyan warriors and leaving was in their blood, even if this goodbye felt different.

“Right.” Kakarot nodded and motioned to Chi. They made their way to the ship, Chi gently helping him walk away, slowly making their way up the ramp and aboard their ship. Once he got to the top, Kakarot turned to his parents and waved at them one last time. His parents waved back, his mother sobbing besides his father who held her tightly against his side. They all stared at each other for a second more, soaking in this last moment together. He wasn’t sure when he’d be back home and that voice inside his head told him that it might be a long time before he would see them again. Sighing, exhausted from the goodbyes and the events of the day, Kakarot turned and Chi helped him inside the ship, leaving his parents to watch them take off from their yard, all three Saiyans silently hoping they’d meet each other again someday soon


End file.
